Mel on Copyright and IP

When starting a new business, understanding copyright and intellectual property can be complex.

I may not be a copyright or IP guru, but I have been in the business for 20 years and have gained some knowledge that I think is worth sharing. So let's take a look at some valuable insights i've gathered over the years that I hope will be helpful to you.

Before we begin, a top tip: make sure you know who can help when you feel frustrated, confused, or just fed up with research. I highly recommend checking out the BIPC North East www.bipcnortheast.co.uk for any questions on copyright, trademarking, and patents. Take some time to explore their website and add their contact details to your list of people who can help.

So, what are we talking about? Well, marketing essentially. 

Before protecting an idea, logo, design or song, it must be fixated in form. Fixation in form means that something has been created and can be seen by others. 

For example, imagine you are developing a logo for your business. You ensure that no one else has the same logo, check if it is appropriate for your target audience (colours, typeset, etc.) and have a clear plan of what the logo will look like. At this stage, you’re not fixating the logo in a form that others can see, therefore your amazing new logo can’t be protected.  

So how can your logo be protected?

Time to put your creative hat on! By creating the logo using design software like Photoshop (or contracting a designer to do it for you), you will have a logo that is ready for some protection. One quick note is that a logo created on Canva cannot be protected, as the assets are readily available to the public!

Remember the top tip: book an appointment with the experts and ask for their help in getting protected. That's all from me for now. However, if you need any advice on other marketing topics or anything to do with business, get in touch with us at: www.pne.org!