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Do you have an IP strategy for your business?

30 January
2025


Do you have an IP strategy for your business?

Do you know how an effective IP strategy can add value to your business? Come to the BLUE GARAGE for Mathys & Squire Partner Andrew White’s Workshop to find out more.

On the 31st January, Partner Andrew White will be attending the BLUE GARAGE to deliver a free IP Workshop titled, ‘Aligning your intellectual property and business strategies’ with Nick Bond and Matt Stedman, Founders of Hard Stuff, and David Galaun, Senior Patent Attorney at Cisco.

For start-ups and small businesses, considering an IP strategy can seem like an intimidating task, often not knowing where to start or how to best protect your assets. However, it remains a crucial process for such businesses, many of whom are often the largest contributors to the latest innovation. It is vital to prevent competitors from taking advantage of your creations and adding value to your business through IP, so how do you begin?

In his session, Andrew will be speaking about the process and benefits of implementing a strong IP strategy, as well as examining third parties, NDAs and case studies to truly exemplify the value in this protection.

Andrew White, Partner at Mathys & Squire, writes: “I am greatly looking forward to delivering this workshop on IP for Blue Garage.  I love working with innovative early-stage business to help them understand and protect their Intellectual Property to support their growth.  In this workshop I will be discussing a few “war-stories” that other businesses I have worked with have encountered to bring to life where and how IP can impact and support growth and reduce risk.”

Nick Bond and Matt Stedman from Hard Stuff will also be offering free one-to-one clinics for attendees to give in-person and direct advice to those with queries about their products.

Nick Bond writes: “We’re excited to share our experience and ideas to tackle the problems people are facing building their hardware startup. We love the space between the known problem and the MVP – exploring the solution space and discovering what needs to be built. That’s where things get creative and interesting, and where we support in building the prototypes that have to be made quick and cheap, with a clear goal in mind.”

Andrew will also be speaking alongside David Galaun, Senior Patent Attorney at Cisco, to provide a vital commercial perspective to the discussions of the day.

BLUE GARAGE, the venue of Friday’s event, is a new makerspace and coworking hub in South East London, providing high-quality workspaces and resources for entrepreneurs, makers and creators. With over 10,000 square feet, they have everything needed to go from idea to product to a thriving business.

Regarding this week’s event, Michael Korn, serial entrepreneur and  Founder of BLUE GARAGE writes: “‘Protecting your business’ Intellectual Property is a bit like getting a security system for your home. It safeguards your innovations and discourages those who might seek to copy them, just as locks, alarms, or CCTV systems protect your belongings and deter burglars. However, there’s no point investing in expensive protection measures unless you’ve got something of real value to safeguard.

It’s also about prevention. The goal is to stop potential theft before it happens and planning ahead for future challenges. It’s a lot to consider at such an early stage especially when a business has none/limited funds and sometimes, it might actually be better to keep things under wraps entirely – as a bad patent can be the best way for someone to find a way to copy your invention. A flashy security system on a modest house can attract unwanted attention, and a sophisticated criminal could find ways to bypass the most advanced security measures – hacking into your CCTV system and snooping around inside your house.

Photo of BLUE GARAGE

Once committing to IP protection, I’ve learnt that it’s important to recognize that it’s a long-term investment. Over time, the costs of maintaining intellectual property grow, so it’s essential to assess whether and where protection is truly needed. When managed properly, however, IP can offer immense value and provide critical protection for a business. In the UK, the tax incentives alone make IP an important consideration for any innovative company.

Just as you would design a new house with the right locks and alarms in mind, I think it’s important to consider your IP strategy from the very beginning.”

To sign up for the free event on Eventbrite click here.

To find out more about BLUE GARAGE click here.