Historically, the Intellectual Property (IP) landscape was somewhat of a minefield to those who were new to the game (and even those who were well versed in the art!), making the barrier for protecting inventions unnecessarily high. 

In recent years, IP professionals and government bodies have worked hard lower the barrier and ease accessibility to obtaining IP protection, with a vision to boost innovation and support inventors to get the protection that they deserve. 

In fact, there is a plethora of resources and funding opportunities available to leverage to ease the journey from a ‘EUREKA’ moment to IP protection.

Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, CIPA

CIPA is the professional and examining body for patent attorneys in the UK. They offer a number of support and funding resources to individuals and businesses wishing to learn more about IP:

Earthshot Prize

The Earthshot Prize is an annual competition with a chance to win one of five £1 million prizes, awarded to businesses or individuals who generate unique solutions for climate change. The competition spotlights five goals for 2030 that aim to fix or reverse the environmental damage to Earth. They are ‘Protect and Restore Nature’, ‘Clean our Air’, ‘Revive our Oceans’, ‘Build a Waste-Free World’ and ‘Fix our Climate’.  

CIPA plays a pivotal role in facilitating this globally impactful award as an Implementation Partner and an Official Nominator. They are instrumental in ensuring that finalists have the IP advice that they need to scale, as well as being a channel for IP firms and patent attorneys to nominate their clients and working with nominees to perfect their submissions.  

For more information on the Earthshot Prize, visit their website here.

If you’re curious whether you think your invention might be eligible, please contact Bailey Walsh & Co. on +44 (0)113 208 9962

IP Clinics

CIPA offers ‘IP Clinics’ wherein a qualified patent attorney provides a 45-minute session of advice at no cost. These sessions are a great way to introduce inventors to the complex world of IP through a discussion with a patent attorney free of charge. 

To learn more and to book an appointment online or in your region, see here.

Bailey Walsh & Co LLP regularly attend IP clinics in the Leeds area and offer free consultations directly to new clients in a similar manner to the IP clinics. Please contact Bailey Walsh to arrange an appointment.

Campaign to support SMEs with IP protection

CIPA is dedicated to supporting SMEs and lowering the barrier for innovation growth. As such, they have launched a number of initiatives and resources in recent years:

  • In collaboration with the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), CIPA is promoting the UKIPO’s financial support scheme, focussed on providing IP Audits. This scheme enables SMEs access to subsidised IP audits, with £2250 (including VAT) contributed by the UKIPO to the price of an IP Audit, for which the SME pays a drastically reduced cost of £750 (including VAT) to the costs. 

IP Audits are a valuable asset to a growing company, providing professional advice and steps over a period of time, along with expenditure predictions. 

  • In 2024, in CIPA’s ‘Campaign to support SMEs’, they worked with the Society for Chemical Industry (SCI) to highlight the importance of obtaining IP rights in their report, ‘Innovations and Patents in the United Kingdom’, downloadable here. 
  • CIPA has drafted a comprehensive, open-access guide, the ‘SME Patent Pack’. This downloadable pack contains reliable, succinct advice on obtaining patents including searching, processes, global protection and cost estimations. 

To download this pack and learn more about how CIPA empowers SMEs to ‘Invent, protect and prosper’, visit this link. 

  • CIPA has also released a number of Case Study videos on YouTube providing insights from a range of businesses to demonstrate the importance of obtaining IP rights and how Patent Attorneys, such as Bailey Walsh & Co, can assist. 

UK Government IP Support and Funding Initiative

The Patent Box initiative

The Patent Box is a UK government initiative offering Corporation Tax relief, with the aim of boosting and maintaining innovation in the UK. 

This scheme allows for businesses to apply for a reduction in their Corporation Tax of 10% on profits that they make from patented inventions. This tax reduction is accessible to companies that own or are exclusive licensees of a patent and have undertaken ‘qualifying development’ on that patent.

Businesses must elect into The Patent Box to obtain these reduced Corporation Tax advantages. More information on this scheme can be found on the UK GOV website.

UK Intellectual Property Office

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) is the official UK government body responsible for IP rights including patents, designs, trade marks and copyright. The UKIPO offers a plethora of resources for businesses to leverage. For examples:

  • In collaboration with the CIPA, the IPO’s financial support scheme, focussing on providing IP Audits, discussed above;
  • The Intellectual Property training course: IP Masterclass is a 2-day course offering a thorough insight into IP rights from the IPO’s officers themselves. In particular, the course covers topics such as protecting existing IP rights, assessing prior art, IP professionals and preventing infringement. The Masterclasses are hosted in Newcastle, London and Liverpool, and cost £300 plus VAT (CPD accredited) with ‘98% of past delegates saying that they had a better understanding of IP after attending the training course’.
  • The UKIPOs website provides a vast amount of helpful, accessible information and guidance on all forms of IP. The website also hosts a ‘Featured’ blog that includes news, opportunities and updates that provide invaluable insights. 

Business and IP centres

Business and IP Centres (BIPC) were established by The British Library to offer free support to businesses in the form of local events and workshops and individual meetings, focusing on IP guidance and opportunities. Their tagline ‘For every bright idea, everywhere’ rings true as they host a network of centres across the UK that offer free advice on how to protect your products with patents, trade marks, registered designs and copyright. 

To find out more about these centres, the resources available and events near you visit the British Library website, available here. 

Bailey Walsh & Co LLP

Bailey Walsh & Co LLP is a UK and European based Intellectual Property firm providing Intellectual Property Services in the UK, Europe and throughout the world. We were established in 1876 and have provided exceptional professional services within the Intellectual Property Sector for nearly 150 years.

At Bailey Walsh & Co LLP, we are passionate about supporting innovators throughout their entire IP journey. Whether we are coaching first-time inventors or maintaining and expanding a long-term client’s comprehensive IP portfolio; we pride ourselves in offering a tailored service depending on what is best for our clients. Some examples of the services we offer include: 

Bailey Walsh & Co offers free consultations with an attorney of your choice with expertise across IP in a broad range of disciplines. Each of our patent and trademark attorneys are highly experienced and provide practical, professional advice to our clients across the world.

Our attorneys offer free drop-in sessions at Leeds Central Library. These sessions offer local inventors the opportunity for casual and approachable advice from a qualified attorney. They also allow us the opportunity as a local firm with a rich history in the north of the UK, the chance to meet local innovators and understand their needs and challenges. 

Our Blog is a resource available on our website that provides the latest industry insights through a collection of articles, news and guides that explore the latest trends in IP law. To learn about a range of topics; from how a challenge to the James Bond trademark has rocked the boat for brand owners, to the election of President Trump and the impact on the UK Patent Office, to a range of comprehensive guides on IP; the Bailey Walsh blog aims to cover it all.

If you have any questions about any of the opportunities discussed in this blog post, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Bailey Walsh team.Â