An IP Clinic for M-SParc

Author Chris Andrews Licence CC BY-SA Deed Source Geograph

 

Jane Lambert

There is a network of public libraries linked to the British Library that offer a range of services to artists, designers, entrepreneurs inventors and other creatives.  Each of those libraries is known as a "Business and Intellectual Property Centre" or "BIPC".  One of the network's most popular services are Intellectual Property clinics which offer free consultations with patent or trade mark attorneys, lawyers and other professionals specializing in IP.

Probably because much of the initial funding for the network was provided by Arts Council England, there are no BIPCs in Wales.  Wales may be losing out because the BIPCs appear to contribute substantially to the economy.   According to an independent economic impact analysis of the national network between April 2013 – March 2015, BIPCs

• "generated £38 million GVA (Gross Value Added) on investment, with an estimated increase to £214 million by 2018
• created almost 1,700 new businesses and over 4,200 jobs, with an estimated increase to over 4,100 new businesses and over 22,000 new jobs within the next 3 years (almost a third in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’)
• created a payback of £4.50 for every £1 of public money (estimated to grow to £25 payback for every £1 invested by 2018)
• supported diverse communities: 47% of network users were women, 26% of users were BAME and 25% were unemployed or had been made redundant
• achieved lower cost per job created and higher GVA leverage, compared with other business support initiatives"

(see British Library's Business & IP Centre national network published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 16 Dec 2015).

The IP clinics at the English BIPCs are staffed by local lawyers, patent and trade mark attorneys and other professionals and receive little or no public funding,  While a BIPC is unlikely to open in North Wales any time soon there is no reason why IP professionals practising in North Wales should not set up their own IP clinic.  Over the weekend I consulted Emily Roberts of M-SParc, patent attorney Sean Thomas, commercial solicitor Andrea Knox and IP tax accountant Steve Livingston and all were in favour.

As Sean and I plan to attend the Artificial Intelligence for Business workshop on 31 Jan 2024, we shall be in M-SParc between 14:00 and 15:30 to discuss our plans for the clinic with the science park's tenants and other local business owners.   Should anyone require a private consultation with Sean or me on an IP issue that is presently concerning them we shall talk to them there and then.  If someone has an issue that Steve or Andrea is best placed to handle we shall refer that enquirer to one of those professionals,   Each of us has a network of contacts around the world so if a business owner wants to export to China or an invention needs a prototype for your invention we can put him or her in touch with the right person.

If the launch on 31 Jan 2024 is successful we shall operate a triage system.   We shall ask users to fill in the following form which my clerk or I will acknowledge.    If Sean, Andrea, Steve or I can advise by phone, Zoom or email we shall give the enquirer an immediate answer.   If he or she needs a meeting at least one IP professional will be in M-SParc at least once a month.

If anyone wants to talk to me about this project he or she should call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or use the following form:

Fill out my online form.

Menai Science Park's Contribution to World IP Day 2021

Author  Jonathan Calugi  © 2021 WIPO, all rights reserved Licensed courtesy WIPO

 Jane Lambert

For the last 2 years, the Menai Science Park has hosted Wales's main contribution to World Intellectual Property Day (see World IP Day 2021: "IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market" 21 Jan 2021). Emily Roberts and I have been discussing this year's contribution since Autumn and we hope it will be the best ever.

Each year, World IP Day has a different theme.  The theme for 2021 is IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market. It could not be more appropriate for the Menai Science Park because that is what it does all through the year.  Making full use of the park's expertise and that of its tenants, Emily had invited a panel of world-class experts to discuss this year's theme in an online webinar starting at 12:10 and ending at 13:50 tomorrow.

The speakers will be 

Time	Speaker	Topic
12:10- 12:15	Jane Lambert Barrister 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square	Introduction and Welcome - Cyflwyniad a Chroeso
12:15- 12:30	Andrew Davies Intellectual Property Office	IP and Funding for Growth
12:30 -12:45	David Wooldridge Welsh Government Innovation Team	Welsh Government Assistance for Startups and SME
12:45-13:00	Alison Orr Inngot	Valuing startups; intellectual assets
13:00 -13:15	Mark McGowan BIC Innovation	Arranging funding for startups
13:15- 13:30	Andrea Knox Knox Commercial Solicitors	Due Diligence and shareholders agreements`
13:30 -13:45	Steve Livingston IP Tax Solutions	Tax incentives for startups and SMR
13:45 -13:50	Jane Lambert	Thanks and Closing Remarks -

If you would like to attend this event, please register here.

If this webinar is successful we hope to hold subsequent ones on scaling up the business covering angel and private equity investment and Stock Exchange flotation later in the year possibly in cooperation with a Wales law and innovation network on the lines of the Scottish Law and Innovation Network (see Does Wales need a Law and Innovation Network? 14 April 2021),

Anyone wishing to discuss this article or any of the topics arising from it may call me on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact page.

Further Reading

21 Jan 2021 Jane Lambert  World IP Day 2021: "IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market"

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.

Celebrating World IP Day at M-SParc: Basic Tips for Startups and other Small Businesses

M-SParc (Menai Science Park)

Author Jane Lambert
© 2018 Jane Lambert: all rights reserved

Jane Lambert

Last Friday I visited M-SParc (the Menai Science Park) to participate in Wales's celebrations of World Intellectual Property Day (see Happy World Intellectual Property Day 26 April 2019). I discovered M-SParc while I was on holiday in Beaumaris last summer and it is or at least should be a tourist attraction in its own right for its architecture and environmental engineering.  It also has an excellent eatery called Café Tanio which is open to the public as well as staff and tenants during office hours.  I had a delicious freshly cooked chicken curry, a slice of lemon and meringue pie and sparkling mineral from a local spring for just over £8.

M-SParc celebrated World IP Day with a lunchtime seminar on intellectual property in its boardroom at which I was one of three speakers.  The audience included several of the park's tenants and other local businesses, representatives of Welsh Water and Coleg Menai, M-SParc's managing director, Pryderi ap Rhisiart and one of his colleagues.  The other speakers were Huw Watkins of BiC Innovation and Steve Livingston of IP Tax Solutions.  Both speakers, who are experts in their respective fields with national practices and international reputations, are based at M-SParc.  That speaks volumes about the quality of the professional services that are available to businesses in the science park as well as the rest of North Wales. London and the rest of the UK come to Huw and Steve and not the other way round.

My presentation was a short introduction to IP and I have posted my slides and handout to Slideshare in case anyone who missed my talk would like to read them. Huw spoke about the services that his company offers and Steve discussed the tax incentives that are available for innovation in technology and creativity in the arts.  After the talks, I held four pro bono consultations with members of the audience that consumed the rest of the afternoon.  I was one of the last to leave the park just after 17:00.

I can't identify the businesses or mention the topics that I discussed for reasons of professional confidentiality but I think I can give two tips to businesses in Wales and elsewhere on the basis of my visits to the Anglesey Business Festival in October, Ty Menai in January (see IP for the Welsh Food and Packaging Industries 30 Jan 2019 NIPC News), Pitch Perfect (see A Good Way to spend St David's Day 2 March 2019 NIPC News), Aberystwyth University and the Beacon Enterprise Centre in Llanelli for Business Wales (see Intellectual Property for Startups and other Small Businesses 26 March 2019) in March and M-SParc last Friday.

The first tip is that every business with customers has goodwill which is likely to be connected with its name, the names of one or more of its products or services, a logo, a combination of name or logo or some other sign.  It is in the interests of the business and indeed its customers that that sign is associated with that business and none other.  Sometimes unscrupulous competitors try to muscle in on a market by presenting their goods or services under the same or similar sign.  Other times a competitor can adopt the same or similar sign quite innocently. Either way, it can result in lost sales and damaged goodwill.

Registering a trade mark need not break the bank.   The basic office costs of an online application for a UK mark are £170 although I would strongly recommend obtaining a search before making an application  I would also advise businesses to instruct a chartered trade mark attorney to do the search, draw up the specification, correspond with the Registry and any objectors who many appear and obtain the grant  s (see Whom you gonna call? IP Professionals and what they do 2 April 2019).  Having said that, plenty of businesses have registered marks without using an attorney.  An attorney will charge a few hundred pounds on top of the search and filing fees for his or her trouble but that is one hell of a lot cheaper than the cost of an opposition.  Ideally, I would also pay for a watch service and take out IP insurance against the costs of enforcement.

The second tip is to ensure that website terms and conditions pass muster. Every website should have at least two sets of terms, namely website access terms and a privacy statement.  The website access terms are essentially an end-user software licence.  A website consists of code which has to be reproduced in order to appear in a browser.  Such reproduction requires permission and that can be subject to conditions. These could include restrictions on copying materials on the site or specifying that the terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales and that any disputes will be referred to courts in those countries.  The privacy statement must contain the information that should have been registered with the Information Commissioner. If cookies are used,  visitors must be made aware of that.  Any special or unusual use of data extracted from visitors to the site should also appear in the privacy statement.   If the site is to be used for e-commerce it must comply with The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 and The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 at the very least.   I published Basic Law for Web Designers: No. 2: Website Terms and Conditions in JD Supra on 27 Aug 2011 and although that article may be getting a little long in the tooth it is still good law.

Everybody who attended the seminar on Friday regarded it as a foundation upon which we can build.  The next step may be to arrange for a patent librarian to show how to carry out patent, design and trade mark searches, a specialist broker to talk about IP insurance or a chartered patent agent to run a clinic.  In the meantime, if anyone has a problem with a third party or an examiner, needs something drafted for a business transaction or some advice on IP law, he or she should give me a call on 020 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact form.  If it is straightforward and I know the answer I shall tell you for free. If it requires some work I will warn you and we can agree a specification of work and a fee or charging basis.  Any fee I may charge will be reasonable and properly negotiated in advance. There will be no nasty surprises.

Further Reading

2 Apr 2022 Diwrnod Eiddo Deallusol y Byd / World Intellectual Property Day

26 Apr 2019 Jane Lambert  Happy World Intellectual Property Day

10 Apr 2019  Jane Lambert Anglesey to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day

Maximizing your Intellectual Assets

Jane Lambert

Intellectual assets are creations of the mind that give one business a competitive edge over others.  They include brands, designs, technology and creativity.  They are assets because they generate or safeguard revenue.  The laws that protect them are known collectively as intellectual property ("IP").

You probably have a business plan but how well (if at all) does it take account of IP?  If it doesn't then it should for the reasons I set out in Why Every Business Plan should take Account of IP 3 April 2016 NIPC News.  It can make all the difference between the success or failure of your business venture but it is not easy to do because "not every accountant or solicitor is IP savvy and certainly not every business adviser."

In that article, I said that I would be giving talks around the United Kingdom on IP and business planning.   As part of Wales's celebrations of World Intellectual Property Day, I shall be talking about that subject at the M-SParc (Menai Science Park) at Gaerwen on Anglesey between 13:00 and 14:00 on Friday, 26 April 2019 and I have gathered a team of experts on innovation and IP tax incentives to join me.

 I shall discuss the available legal protection - copyrights, design registration, patents, trade marks, trade secrets, unregistered design rights and so on - how you can obtain those rights and other things.   Huw Watkins of BIC Innovation will talk about ways his company can help you develop and distribute your new products and services.   Steve Livingston of IP Tax Solutions can advise you of the tax incentives and other opportunities available to you.  These are three short complimentary presentations that will not be available anywhere else.

This is one seminar you should really try to attend.  You can register for the event through Eventbrite.  If you really can't make it on the 26 April 2019, call me on 020 7404 5252 or contact me through my contact page and I will email my handout.  I am also happy to talk about this article and any other IP matter you may want to discuss.

Anglesey to celebrate World IP Day

Jane Lambert

The island of Anglesey just off the North Wales mainland may not have a very large population or land area but its Menai Science Park (M-SParc) is almost at the centre of the World Intellectual Property Organization's map.  If you hover your cursor over the British Isles, you will find the following mention:

"name
World IP Day 2019 Celebration
description
The Menai Science Park organizes a lunchtime introduction to intellectual property to be given by Mrs. Jane Lambert of NIPC Law, Mr Steve Livingston of IP Tax Solutions and Mr Huw Watkins of BIC Innovation.
Date: April 26, 2019
Link: http://bit.ly/2UuZVtp"

The World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") is the United Nations's specialist agency for intellectual property.  Formed originally from a merger of the secretariats of the Paris and Berne Conventions, the WIPO is now the guardian of most of the world international agreements on intellectual property offering a wide range of services to its 192 member states and their nationals.

On the 26 April of every year, it organizes a worldwide festival of events to celebrate the anniversary of the coming into force of its founding convention.  As the WIPO notes, Anglesey's contribution to this worldwide event will be a lunchtime workshop on copyright and other intellectual property law will take place at M-SParc between 13:00 and 14:00 on 26 April 2019. The speakers will be Steve Livingston of IP Tax Solutions, Huw Watkins of BIC Innovation and me.

M-SParc opened its doors on 1 March 2018 and has already attracted some great businesses.  You can find more information about it in this film. 

Anyone wishing to discuss this article or IP generally can call me on 020 7474 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.