Professional advice

Legal professionals who specialise in IP are useful in helping you to understand, obtain and defend your IP rights. Details of professionals in your area can be obtained from any of the following organisations:

• Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA)
• Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
• Law Society - Can provide details of suitable solicitors in your area
• Bar Council - Can provide details of barristers licensed for public access

Other sources of advice include:

• Business Link can provide advice on exploiting your ideas.
• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) are a European wide network, with a number of centres in the UK. Each can provide consulting services on IP rights.
• NESTA ,The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts provide a useful handbook on invention and innovation.

There are a number of other organisations geared specifically to helping inventors, especially lone inventors, to bring their ideas to market, and to provide advice on finding financial assistance. For example, The Institute of Patentees and Inventors (IPI) is a non-profit making organisation that specifically helps lone inventors.