Delivering on my Promises in Wales

Jane Lambert

In IP Services During the Emergency 23 March 2020 NIPC Inventors Club, I wrote:

"I was due to speak to the inventors, makers and designers of Porthmadog at Ffiws Maker Space on 1 April 2020. I had an IP clinic at Barnsley Business Village on 14 April 2020. I was planning a high-level seminar on Green Innovation at the Menai Science Park on 27 April 2020 as Wales's contribution to World IP Day."

My visits to Porthmadog and Gaerwen had to be cancelled because of the public health emergency but that does not mean that the talks should not take place: 

I have already uploaded to Linkedin Slideshare the slides of the presentation, Intellectual Property Law for Makers, that I had intended to give to the makers of Northwest Wales at the Ffiws Maker Space at 125 High Street, Porthmadog,  At the time I was to rise to my feet in Porthmadog, I propose to deliver my talk over the Internet.  I hope that as many members of the intended audience at Porthmadog as possible will be able to listen but makers anywhere else in the world will be welcome.  I hope to publish details of the talk and an Eventbrite link later today.

My other commitment in North Wales is a seminar at the Menai Science Park (M-SParc) at Gaerwen on 27 April 2020 to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day (see Anglesey to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day with Talks on Protecting and Exploiting Green Innovation at M-SParc 5 March 2020). That will now take place online but at the slightly earlier time of 12:30 to 13:30.

It will focus on the opportunities offered by WIPO Green for businesses in Wales and the rest of the UK and on the Green Channel, the arrangements in place at the Intellectual Property Office and a number of other patent offices to fast track patent applications for environmentally friendly inventions.  Rob Elias of Beacon Biorefining will be the keynote speaker in relation to the business opportunities and how one of the UK's leading consultancies on plant research can help businesses in Wales to take advantage of them,  We have invited local experts to discuss the corporate legal and tax issues that might arise.  We had invited a speaker from the IPO to discuss the Green Channel but if none is available for our webinar we shall invite an experienced patent attorney instead.

The World IP Day webinar will be organized by M-SParc who have already staged an excellent conference on responding to the COVID-19 menace which I attended on Monday.  There were presentations from Lee Waters AM Deputy Minister for Transport and Economy in Wales and local speakers including the inventor of an antiviral snood which could not have been developed at a more propitious time.

Should any entrepreneur, inventor or maker in North Wales (or indeed anywhere else in the world) want some specific advice on protecting, commercializing or marketing a new product or service, we now have a team of experts who can help.  I have been practising IP law for many years and I can offer initial advice and support on most legal issues.  If you want to apply for a patent or registered design I can pass you on to Sean Thomas, an Anglesey man, who is an experienced patent attorney. If you are interested in branding I can refer you to Jonty Gordon of Amgen Law who can help you with trade mark matters.  On corporate issues, Andrea Knox of Knox Commercial Solicitors is your local expert. As for tax, Steve Livingston, another Anglesey man, is a chartered accountant specializing in IP taxation.  Last but by no means least is Huw Watkins of BIC Innovation who can help you get your product to market.   Anyone who wants to consult any member of that team should fill in the Initial Advice and Signposting Form and we shall take it from there.

If anyone is curious about the gravestone in the picture, it is in memory not of a human but of a dog.  A faithful hound called Gelert was left to guard the infant son of Llewellyn the Great, apparently without any human supervision.  While his father was away fighting the English a rapacious wolf entered the enclosure where the boy was sleeping.  Gelert fought off the wolf but upset the furniture in the process. When Llewellyn returned from battling with my compatriots he found the room in a tip. Concluding that the dog had savaged his son he slew the beast.  The canine's dying cry woke up the prince and revealed its heroism. Overcome with remorse Llewellyn renamed the town where the dog is buried Beddgelert.  The reason why I have taken that photo is that Beddgelert lies on the road between Gaerwen and Porthmadog. The Welsh and UK national treasure, Cerys Matthews, has written a lovely book about the story.

Anyone wanting to discuss this article or IP generally should message me through my contact form while this emergency lasts.   Should you want a chat by phone or VoIP I shall be glad to call you back.

Building an Enterprise Ecosystem on Anglesey

The Atrium, Menai Science Park

© 2019 Jane Elizabeth Lambert: all rights reserved

Jane Lambert

Why are places like Silicon Valley, Tech City or indeed Silicon Fen special?  They are where some of the world's most successful high tech companies have been launched.  The entrepreneurs who launched those companies were attracted to those areas by great research universities, the local availability of specialist professional advice and angel and private equity funding and a pleasant working environment.

Nobody who has visited Northwest Wales will dispute that it is one of the most beautiful corners of the planet combining outstanding coastal, mountain and pastoral scenery.  There can be no better place in which to live, work and bring up a family.  There is a fine research university at Bangor that is particularly strong in product design and ocean sciences. The Menai Science Park (M-SParc) on Anglesey is one of its initiatives and the FabLab and entertainment complex at the Pontio Centre is another.  Though it is still very small the Pitch Perfect events in March and June attracted a few equity investors several of whom live nearby. What the region lacks is a full range of intellectual property services in its vicinity. The nearest patent and trade mark attorneys are in Chester, Liverpool and Manchester. The nearest ones in Wales are in Chepstow and Cardiff.

It was to fill this lacuna that I chaired World IP Day at M-SParc which turned out to be Wales's contribution to World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April 2019.  We built on the success of that day last Friday with an even larger seminar which included contributions from Jonty Gordon of Amgen Law, Sean Thomas of Thomas Harrison IP,  Steve Livingston of IP Tax Solutions, Andera Knox of Knox Commercial and Ian Wishart of Sybaris Legal & IP.  Jonty spoke about registered trade marks and passing off, Sean discussed patents, Steve mentioned tax incentives such as the patent box, Andrea gave us plenty of tips about business structures and contracts such as shareholders' agreements and Ian outlined the IP insurance products that are now available. 

It turned out to be a very stimulating afternoon and we received some nice comments on social media. The Hub tweeted:

Profiad ac arbenigedd gorau yn y DU yma heddiw ar Eiddo Deallusol! Wir yr, da ni mor lwcus! Cyngor ar fanteision treth, sut i sicrhau Patent, TM neu ® , y cyfan yn hanfodol i gwmniau newydd. ~ Pryderi pic.twitter.com/A5Nthx42mG

— Yr Hwb @ M-SParc The Hub @ M-SParc (@HwbMenter) September 20, 2019

The science park's managing director, Pryderi ap Rhisiart, posted the following on Linkedin:


We also received a lovely thank you email from Emily Roberts who coordinated the two seminars.

After the workshop, we held some informal one-to-ones with the delegates to discuss their immediate issues.   We identified the need for ongoing support for entrepreneurs, investors, lenders and others in the region and agreed to form a loose association through Facebook and Linkedin which anyone can join.  We also thought business people in the area will require focused discussion on such topics as searching and confidentiality.   Maybe these can be organized locally on a monthly or some other regular basis.

We look forward to working together to assist the inventors, designers, artists, authors and other creative, enterprising and innovative individuals of Northwest Wales. Should anyone wish to discuss this article, call me on 020 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact page,

"How much does IP Protection cost? and "Is it worth it?" Get some Answers at M-SParc on 20 Sept

Excalibur

Author Arthur Pyle
Source Wikipedia Excalibur

Jane Lambert

It usually costs a lot of time and money to develop and market a new product or service and the last thing you want is for an interloper to nab your customers by trading in a way that leads them to believe that he is you or by supplying a product that looks a lot like yours. Intellectual property is the magic sword that can stop them from doing so.

However, just like the Excalibur of Arthurian legend, not everybody can wield it.  You usually have to put some steps in place such as registering a trade mark, patent or registered design or taking out intellectual property insurance so that you can go to court to enforce or protect your intellectual property right (see It is never enough to get a patent, trade mark or registered design 5 Aug 2019 NIPC Inventors' Club).  Patent, trade mark and design registration cost money as do insurance premiums.  Of course, not having adequate IP protection in place or being able to defend it can cost you very much more.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners have a lot of demands on their cash which is why it is essential to plan for such expenditure.  That is what a business plan is for.   It is "Why every business plan should take account of intellectual property" (see my article of 3 April 2016 NIPC News).

But in order to include intellectual property in your business plan, you will need some figures and other information.  Costs will vary widely from business to business and, for that reason, the Enterprise Hub at M-SParc has assembled the best possible lineup of expertise that is available in Wales.  They will be setting out their services and answering your questions in "Your ideas, your work, your rights. What do you really own?" at the Menai Science Park near Gaerwen on Anglesey between 12:00 and 14:00 on 20 Sept 2019.

I shall be chairing the meeting and I shall explain briefly what is meant by intellectual property and how it works.  I shall remind the audience of some simple steps that they can take to identify the right kind of legal protection for their businesses and where and how it can be protected.

I shall be followed immediately afterwards by Sean Thomas.  Originally from Anglesey, Sean practises as a patent attorney in Leeds for Thomas Harrison IP.  He will explain the advantages of patenting a new invention, what can happen if you don't patent it, where you can patent it and how much it could cost to get a British, European and international patent application.

Sean will be followed by Jonty Gordon of Amgen Law, an IP specialist practising in Bangor who will discuss trade mark and design registration. He will explain the advantages of registration of each of those two intellectual property rights, where they can be registered and how much it will cost in each case.

Andrea Knox, a commercial solicitor practising in Colwyn Bay who specializes in insolvency, will mention the need to consider IP in due diligence, employment, distribution and other commercial transactions.

Ian Wishart, a patent attorney who now works with his son, Paul, in Sybaris  Legal and IP a specialist IP insurance broker, will review the various types of cover that are available, the costs, and alternatives such as after-the-event insurance and other forms of litigation insurance.

Finally, Steve Livingston, a chartered accountant specializing in IP taxation who practises from the Menai Science Park will advise how to obtain the optimum tax treatment for your investment in obtaining, maintaining and enforcing your rights.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article, the seminar or any related matter should call me on 020 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact form.