02/12/2013
In an effort to tackle poor understanding of IP rights, the UK IPO has recently launched a range of online support tools designed to help businesses identify and manage their intellectual property assets.
The recent additions are IP Basics, IP Equip and the IP Equip app.
- IP Basics provides free online guides for understanding the various forms of IP and the process of obtaining a patent.
- IP Equip is an interactive learning tool that aims to help businesses and their advisors to identify assets which may be protected by intellectual property (IP) rights. It consists of a series on online modules including questions and resources.
- The IP Equip app is a smart phone app providing access to IP information and available from iTunes and the Android App store.
- There are also a couple of older initiatives.
- IP Health Check, which has been around for a few years, is a free online tool that provides businesses with a list of recommendations for protecting and exploiting their intellectual priority assets.
- The IP Masterclass is a specialist course designed to enable users to develop a detailed understanding of intellectual property and its relationship with business, culture and the economy, as well as sound practical skills that can be applied to a business environment. It is available as a classroom course or as an online distance learning course but there is a registration fee.
Anything that generally demystifies the subject of IP can only be a good thing, especially for SMEs and advisers to SMEs. We are interested to hear if any of our readers have tried out these tools and the type of advice they have received.
This article is for general information only. Its content is not a statement of the law on any subject and does not constitute advice. Please contact Reddie & Grose LLP for advice before taking before any action in reliance on it.
