IP can be a costly minefield if you don’t know what you’re doing.  No doubt it is a complex area of the law. It’s also true to say a small amount of information can be a dangerous thing.  So, when it comes to starting a company how do you start off on the right foot and avoiding excessive cost further down the line? How do you begin to navigate this IP minefield?

The amount and type of IP you own and how you choose to protect it, is going to be different depending upon your market, your customers, the importance you place on a particular product/service over another etc etc. I won’t therefore try to be too specific here, but what I can get you to do is to begin structuring your thoughts in the right way. Point you in the right direction.

Those of you who have ever considered whether your licensees are paying you the right amount of royalties, may not be imagining it!  Over the last few years our team have found a significant percentage of under reported revenue across a wide range of industries.  This revenue is found by reviewing, for example, licensees, affiliates, advertisers or providers to ensure they are parting with the right amount of commission or royalties.  These are self reported relationships where a licence owner has little or no visibility. 

Issues leading to under reporting were, in the majority of cases, accidental or process related, however I have found the same reasons continually popping up.  To name only a few, clicks have not been reported, commission rates incorrectly applie ...