Welcome to Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Dragons’ Den series 10 blog. Once again, we will be on the lookout for any Intellectual Property (IP) discussed or featured on Dragons’ Den each week.

This series got off to an interesting start with a confetti cannon, a bold valuation and singing dragons.

First to face the Dragons was mother of three, Bee London who wants an £85,000 investment for a 10% stake of her company, ‘Weave Got Style Instore’ which provides a hair extension service.

An unimpressive pitch, followed by a heartfelt exchange, led to some tough questions from the Dragons. Bee’s lack of clarity on company figures resulted in all but one of the Dragons opting out. Hilary saw the potential and offered the full amount for 40% of the company. At first reluctant, Bee eventually accepted Hillary’s offer.

A quick search of our trade mark database revealed that Bee has registered Weave Got Style®. Did you know that protecting your trading name costs as little as £170 for a period of 10 years? Further information on trade marks is available on our website.

After an unsuccessful pitch by husband and wife team Colin and Yelena Goddard Adam Ewart was next into the Den. Adam’s company, ‘sendmybags.com’ helps avoid excess baggage costs by couriering bags separately to any destination.

Adam was looking for £100,000 for a 5% stake in his company. After a confident pitch, the Dragons queried Adam about the fact the service can be easily copied by changing the name slightly and providing the same service. Adam has the name, sendmybags.com®, registered as a trade mark. However, the business cannot be patented in the UK as methods of doing business are excluded from UK patent law.

The Dragons went on to question Adam about the bold valuation of £2 million that he put on his company. This left them unimpressed with only Duncan interested. However, with only a 7% offer for the full amount, Adam walked away empty handed.

Following Adam into the Den were singing music teachers, Harriet Thomas and Sue Newman. Failing to make the Dragons sing from the same hymn sheet, no offers were received for their idea of ‘music workshops’.

Clay O’Shea was up next making a passionate plea for a £50,000 investment in his ‘ABS PAK’ product. After questioning, the ex professional boxer admitted that although ABS PAK® is a registered trade mark, he has no patent protection. He believed that protecting the name prevented others copying his product. Deborah correctly pointed out that because there is no protection on the ABS PAK itself, it could easily be copied.

With only Duncan left to make an offer, he commented that the product is un-protectable and that the market is not big enough to warrant an investment. Clay took the disappointment on the chin and left the Den empty handed.

All businesses will own some form of IP - the first steps are knowing what your business has and how to protect it. Our free IP Healthcheck tool will help you answer these questions.

Last in the Den were Lewis Blitz and his friends, James and Richard Gold, who offered a 10% stake in their company for £120,000. ‘SkinnyDip’ develop creative, colourful and fun tech accessories for the fashion conscious and have an impressive list of existing clients.

After a pitch which enthused the Dragons, the three graduates from North London continued to stand up to detailed questioning.

The Dragons were clearly impressed and all but two made offers for the full £120,000, but with differing levels of equity. Ultimately Lewis, James and Richard agree to took the deal offered by Peter as he has contacts that may be valuable to future of ‘SkinnyDip’.

Well done to all the entrepreneurs who took part this week, especially Bee London, Lewis Blitz and James and Richard Gold who all managed to get the Dragons to part with their money.

You may be interested to know that in partnership with Companies House, we are running a series of FREE business support events across the UK. Get It Right - First Time will help you understand IP and your role as a first time director.

Plenty of inventive and curiosity-piquing ideas in the Den this week, but conspicuously the only one which actually received investment was the one with registered Intellectual Property (IP).

“Pentrepreneur” Vicky kicked off with a website called ‘Eat With a Local’ which allows tourists to be cooked for by locals, who thus provide local knowledge as well as cuisine. Vicky did not have any IP and her company was run through a website. Remember if you are commissioning a third party to design your website you must check who owns the copyright.

Copyright is a free automatic right that does not have to be applied for and means that something may only be copied or reproduced with the copyright owner’s permission. Further information on copyright is available on our website.

Sandy Andy valued his sand-sculpture business at £1M. The Dragons weren’t swept away by his sculptures and made no investment. There was a possibility that his sculptures could perhaps be protected by registering his designs or copyright.

A Registered Design protects the overall visual appearance of a product whether it be its lines, contours, colour, shape, texture or materials. Registering a design allows the designer the right to prevent others from creating designs which are too similar to theirs. This can be a very valuable asset in protecting your product. Further information on protecting you designs is available on our website.

The value of having strong IP protection was demonstrated by Collette and Geoff, with their ‘Shampoo Heads®’ range of children’s haircare products. The value of their brand was backed up with trade marks registered in both the UK (Trade Mark 2532338) and Europe (Community Trade Mark E10440501), they had paid for clinical approval of their products, and their child-friendly pump also had patentable features. This led to Boots providing them with their own ‘gondola’, a display dedicated exclusively to their goods alone, in every UK branch for one month.

A trade mark is a symbol that distinguishes your business and the products and services you provide from those of your competitors. It can be for example, your brand name, logo or combination of both. A trade mark can be used as a marketing tool so that your customers recognise your products or services; to apply for one can cost from as little as £170. Further information on UK trade marks and European trade marks are available on our website.

Even in the briefly shown unsuccessful pitches there was a potential for IP. The anti-Deep Vein Thrombosis exercise pedal for air travel was clearly a patentable invention, and the bra for busty women may also have had some innovative technical features.

Every business will own some form of IP. To find out what your business owns visit our website. You can also go along to one of our FREE Get It Right First Time events held throughout the UK to better understand how to protect and manage your businesses IP and identify ways to grow exploit your IP commercially, to grow your business.

Week 3 in the Den, and very little mention of intellectual property (IP), which is surprising as every business will own some form of IP whether it's their business name, product or the service they provide. If you would like to find out what IP you own, try our free online IP Healthcheck tool.

First into the Den was horror story writer Andrew Hannon with his business Thirteen Horror Ltd, which sells books and interactive online experiences. He tried to persuade the Dragons to part with £50,000 of their money for a 20% stake in his business.

As well as the business name which could be registered as a trade mark, Thirteen Horror Ltd has its own website that showcases the products and services it offers. Many business owners rely on the creative talents of a web designer to create an enticing and engaging website.

Did you know that when commissioning the design of a website, even if the website is about you/and/or your business, and you have paid the designer for the work they have created, the copyright of the website's design (a sum of its layout, colour, fonts etc) is automatically retained by the designer?

To avoid this happening to you, in the contract with your web designer include a specific clause that states the ownership of the website design is passed to the business owner on completion. It should also state who is licensed to use the copyright material that is to be created.

Back in the Den, after an entertaining, but not so scary pitch Andrew impressed the Dragons with the money he had earned so far, but not enough to persuade them to invest their money in his business.

Dubliner John Power from 'Jaktogo.com' has already considered his IP by protecting the name 'Jaktogo.com' with a Community Trade Mark (see Community Trade Mark E10266906®). However, the Dragons were unconvinced and bemused by the idea of wearable luggage and John was unsuccessful in his bid for investment.

Though, by protecting his business's name with a trade mark John is potentially able to become a market leader through building up a recognised and trusted brand.

To apply for a community trade mark or to find out more visit the Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market (OHIM) website .

Returning to the Den for a second time, twins Lisa and Helen Tse wanted £50,000 for 20% of their sauce business 'Sweet Mandarin'.

A quick search of our free online trade mark database shows that 'Sweet Mandarin' is registered (TM2613932® & TM2389840®). Your brand, and therefore your trade mark is what separates you from your competitors, so it's really important to make sure you protect it. It's also very important to make sure that you aren't infringing anybody else's trade marks.

Did you know it only costs £170 to file a trade mark application online in a single class?

Lisa and Helen's confident pitch, which included the Dragons tasting their range of sauces, led to matching offers of £50,000 in exchange for a 40% share of their business from both Duncan and Hilary who agreed to work together.

In terms of IP it's not possible for Helen and Lisa to protect their sauce recipes with a patent. However, any recipes they publish online or in print are protected by copyright.

Kellie Forbes and Gill Hayward creators of the 'YUUbag' were the most successful entrepreneurs this week. Looking for £60,000 in exchange for a 10% share in their business they impressed the Dragons with their confident answers regarding the company's financial position. With several offers from the Dragons which ended in Kellie and Gill agreeing to a 30% share of their business for £60,000, working with Deborah and Peter.

To protect their designs, Kellie and Gill could apply for a UK registered design. This would protect the appearance or 'look' of the whole or part of their product, based on the lines, contours, colours, shape, and texture or material it has.

Alternatively, they could file for a registered community design which would protect their design in all 27 EU member states.

Let us know what you thought about this week's pitches and their IP by dropping us a tweet, we're @The_IPO.

Another intense episode for the entrepreneurs brave enough to face the Dragons.

First up is former chat show host Chrystal Rose who was looking for an investment of £80,000 to produce a television game show pilot in exchange for a 25% equity share in her business. Chrystal, an avid scrabble player, has created 3 new card games, all with an emphasis on words. She has amalgamated two of the games and turned them into a television game show format, LOST 4 WORDS® (TM2590517). Chrystal mentioned in her pitch that she had already licensed one of her games to an American toy company.

IP may be “licensed-out” or “licensed-in”. For example, you may “license-out” to another company or organisation in return for a reward, financial or other “in-kind” benefits or a combination of both. You may wish to “license-in” if you want to use another company’s IP to develop your own business and products

Why not take our online “IP Healthcheck" now to see if licenses might be useful in your business.

After playing “Lost for Words” the Dragons declared themselves out and failed to make Chrystal an offer.

Showing that age isn’t a barrier to success in the Den, 22 year old student Harrison Woods, founder of Primal Parking entered the Den looking for a £60,000 investment in exchange for 20% equity. Primal Parking, a letting agency for privately owned car parking spaces is based around a website and phone application advertising unused or under-utilised car parking spaces.

A quick search of our free online trade mark database shows that Primal Parking® (TM2618524) has already been registered by Harrison. By protecting his business’s name, Harrison is potentially able to become a market leader through building up a recognised and trusted brand.

Our website has lots more information, help and advice on trade marks.

After a fast-paced pitch and some nervous responses to the Dragons’ questions, Harrison impressed the Dragons with his tenacity and accepted a joint offer from Theo and Peter of £60,000 for a 40% share of his business.

Following Harrison’s success former nurse Caroline Brown came to the Dragons in search of £80,000 for 30% of her company, The Huntingford Co which produces devices for people as they get older. Caroline had developed two products to help ease back- breaking problems. Caroline has registered her trade marks on her products the StickStay® (TM2564691) and the eeZee ® (TM2582406) Pet Feeder which has attracted some interest from business.

By searching our online patent database, you will see that Caroline has also applied for patents, The StickStay® (GB2487220) and The eeZee® Pet Feeder (GB2487213). A patent will ensure that Caroline secures the exclusive rights on her inventions and that none of her competitors can make or sell her products in the countries she has had Patents granted in.

Find our more about Patents on our website.

Unfortunately, despite the Dragons seeing potential for Caroline’s products, particularly The StickStay®, she left the Den with nothing.

Last in the Den were landscape gardener Michael Smith, who created his product 20 years ago, and his son Joe, who spotted the product’s mass market potential. Asking for £50,000 for 10% equity, they showcased the “Wheel Barrow Booster”, which extends the capacity of wheelbarrows.

Michael and Joe have taken out both an EU registered design (001843251-0001 ) and a US Patent (USD659935 ) on their "wheel barrow booster". This will allow them to protect their product in both of these markets. The product will also benefit from unregistered design rights in the UK, which like copyright, is automatic. For more details on unregistered design rights visit the designs section of our website.

Find out more about IP and how you can protect yours, in our MyIP (1Mb) booklet.

After some protracted negotiations, Michael and Joe walked away from the Den deciding to stand and fall on their own two feet.

It was a tough week in the Den, with only one of the entrepreneurs receiving an investment from the Dragons. Come back next week to see what IP we spot in the next episode of Dragons Den!

The Den was full of inventors and their inventions this week giving us a great opportunity to discuss patents. Remember, to protect an invention in the UK, you need to apply for a patent here at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) or at an international IP office.

Our first entrepreneur in the Den was Noora Lewis with her invention FlickTips®. Unfortunately she was unable to secure investment from any of the Dragons but her pitch did throw up some interesting IP points. During her questioning she said that nobody else has had her idea, which she came up with three years ago. After conducting a search on Espacenet , an online patents database, and our patents journal, it appears that Noora has not filed a patent application for her stick on eyeliner flicks.

A granted GB patent gives the applicant protection for their invention and prevents another person or company making it or selling it anywhere in the UK. In order for a patent application to be successful, the invention must satisfy some criteria. Two of these criteria are that it must be new and involve an inventive step.

Unfortunately, Noora has already disclosed her invention on her website , at trade shows and on Dragons' Den. This means that if she were to file an application now, these earlier disclosures of her invention would render her invention not "new", as it was already in the public domain at the time the application was made. It is vital that you do not publicly disclose your invention before the application is received at the IPO. However, if Noora developed her product and came up with a new, inventive technical feature, she could potentially gain patent protection for a product including this feature.

We performed a quick search to see if anyone else has come up with a stick-on eyeliner flick and, if they have, whether they have filed a patent application for it. In order to search for an invention you need to distil its essential technical features. In Noora's case, her invention seems to centre around stick on eyeliner tips. However, when searching it's important to try and look as broadly as possible, so in this case it might be sensible to search for stick on eye makeup, or even just stick on makeup, in general. This is something you can do at home if you're looking to patent your idea.

After conducting a quick patent search, a similar patent application, US 2010239619 , was found. However, it has a few differences: its method of application is different, it replicates the whole eyeliner stroke rather than just the tip and it doesn't appear to be re-usable. When looking on the internet a few similar products popped up, for example Claire's® and Eye Rock® . Like the patent application however, these replicate the eyeliner stroke rather than just an eyeliner flick.

Although Noora has not filed an application, it is interesting to note that none of the products we found were available when Noora said she came up with her idea. Nor does it seem that anyone else has yet come up with the idea of providing just eyeliner flick tips. If we were to assess her invention as if she had filed a patent application, and the products listed above were the closest prior art, we would need to decide whether the differences between Noora's invention and the other devices were inventive or whether they were obvious. We'll leave it to you to decide whether or not it's inventive! Unfortunately she was unable to secure any investment from the Dragons.

Another impressive invention in the Den was Art Stavenko and Kyril Chykeyuk's advertising bicycle. Although not their invention originally, they have successfully negotiated an exclusive licensing deal with the owners. Here are a couple of patent applications relating to the bicycle with its light display: US2012200401 and US2011038169 . Here the entrepreneurs have spotted an innovative development of a well known device and are turning it into a business. Most of the patent applications the IPO receives are developments on existing technologies rather than never-before-seen inventions and this is a great example of an old invention being adapted for a more modern purpose. Art and Kyril did well to secure investment from the Dragons' and we'll be looking out for their bicycles in the near future!

Congratulations to all involved in a particularly inventive episode of Dragons' Den this week. Don't forget to come back next week for another IP blog.

Welcome to week 6 of our blog! It was great to see lots of Intellectual Property mentioned on the programme this week.

First up was Marie Sawle who wanted £60,000 for 20% equity in her business. Her aspiration was to turn her Billy & Margot® (TM2594869) product of iced treats for dogs into a brand.

Most businesses are aware of their brand and know it is of vital importance to their business, but often do not realise how vulnerable it is. In order to protect it properly, it really should be registered as their trade mark, which is exactly what Marie has done.

Marie’s pitch and product was impressive enough to receive two offers from the Dragons, walking away with Deborah’s offer of £60,000 for 40% equity.

Another entrepreneur to face the Dragons was Dustin Toland from Kent, who is the inventor of the GIGWAM® (TM2524466), a brand new tent system.

He mentions in his pitch that the 'GIGWAM' has design protection in Europe and the United States. A quick search of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market designs database shows me that Dustin has registered two European designs (001160576-0001 & 001160576-0002) and one US design. This will stop anyone in Europe or the United States copying or selling Dustin’s tents.

To protect your design throughout the EC, you can apply for a Registered Community Design (RCD) at the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM). Application details are available on their website.

Dustin also mentions that he has an International Patent pending; another quick search reveals that WO2011018664 has been applied for by Dustin and the application designates protection in several countries around the world.

Did you know that you can protect your invention in many international countries using the Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT) through the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). A PCT application is initially processed as a single application and you will receive an international search report and written opinion. The application is then published around 18 months from the earliest priority date and you then have to process your application separately in each country.

Dustin’s impressive product and IP portfolio led to both Deborah and Theo offering the full amount of £100,000 but for more than 3 times the equity on offer. Unwilling to part with more than 15%, Dustin declined and left the den empty handed.

Father and son team, Henry & Philip Blake, entered the Den looking for investment in their build it yourself landscaping product Woodblocx® (TM2620651). On offer to the Dragons was a 10% share of their business in return for £75,000.

Henry and Philip also knew about the importance of Intellectual Property mentioning that they had patent protection on the block system® (GB2363807 ) and also on the dowel® (GB2363808 ).

After further discussion concerning profits and sales, the only Dragon to make an offer was Peter, offering £75,000 for 25% equity dropping it to 15% once he had received the investment back. Happy with this offer, the two walked away with the investment and backing they were looking for.

That’s all for this weeks Dragons’ Den and IP blog. Well done to Marie Swale and Henry & Philip Blake for getting the Dragons to part with their cash. Don’t forget to come back next week for another blog entry.

Another intense episode this week which saw another 8 entrepreneurs test their nerve against the Dragons.

First to face the Dragons was Matt King who wanted a £150,000 in return for a 1% equity stake in his company. Matt pitched his 'We Q 4 U' app, which is a free download to help customers cut the cost of waiting in call centres queues. Unimpressed by the value Matt placed on his business, no offers were made.

Did you know that smart phone applications and websites come under copyright protection; copyright is an automatic right which applies when the work is fixed, that is written or recorded in some way.

Martin Shenton's take on the paint ball business also failed to gain investment from the Dragons. Not impressed with an unrealistic valuation, the Dragons suggested that a solid business plan would be needed.

A quick search of the trade mark database shows that Martin has not protected his brand 'Blue Green Yellow Dead'. A trade mark can be used as a marketing tool so customers can recognise your products or services. Further information on applying for a trade mark can be found on our website.

After a successful pitch by Umer Ashraf of 'i-Cafe', Sam Spake and Vanessa Harris were next into the Den with their multifunctional toy called the Rokka Play (TM2561038). Impressed by the product but not by the cost of £250, the Dragons suggested an alternative price was looked at and Sam and Vanessa walked away from the Den empty handed.

Next in the Den was Colin Burton who wanted £60,000 for a 20% share in his male grooming business called Fellas (E9564725). Colin pitched his 'fellaswipes' cleansing wipes for men which failed to impress and resulted in no offers. However the dragons did praise him on the look of his brand which is registered as a Community Trade Mark (CTM).

Did you know that a Community Trade Mark covers 27 countries and costs EUR 900 if filed online? To apply or find out more, visit the Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market (OHIM) website.

Dean and Joanna Barnes were looking for investment in their dust eliminator device 'The D.A.D.E'. Although the Dragons thought it was a good product, none were willing to invest. Both Dean and Joanne Barnes know the importance of Intellectual Property (IP) as a quick patent search reveals the product has patent protection GB2475156.

Barry Steptoe charmed the Dragons with his 'Ockeys R Us' darts mat. The entrepreneur showed excellent knowledge of IP with the dragons praising him for successfully filing his own patent. A quick search using the Espacenet database, shows that Barry has protected GB2459511 .

A granted patent gives the applicant protection for their invention and prevents anyone else from making or selling it in the UK. Further information on applying for a patent can be found on our website.

The most successful entrepreneurs this week were Ben Hardyment and Matt White who were looking for £250,000 for a 7.5% share in their website Zapper (TM2597267). The website enables customers to enter/scan the bar code or a book, DVD, or game for an instant cash evaluation. A rocky start still saw the pair receive an offer from Theo for the full amount but for 30% equity. After careful consideration, Ben and Matt were happy to accept the offer.

Well done to all the entrepreneurs in this week's episode, don't forget to come back next week to find out more about the IP we spot in the next episode of Dragons Den.

It's Week 8 in the den with plenty of innovative ideas for the dragons to sink their teeth into. This week sees only 4 dragons as Hilary was sent home ill.

With sausages on the menu, second generation butcher Paul Turner was first in the den looking for an £80,000 investment for 10% in his traditional sausage products.

A quick search of Trade Marks database reveals that Paul has registered EST 1956 Alf Turners (TM2528436)

Did you know that registering your trade mark gives you the exclusive right to use your mark for the goods and/or services that it covers in the United Kingdom (UK).

If you have a registered trade mark you can put the ® symbol next to it to warn others against using it. However, using this symbol for a trade mark that is not registered is an offence. Further information on the benefits of registering your trade mark can be found on our website.

Peter saw a more lucrative investment in Paul's successful family butchers. After reluctantly giving away 33% of his family butchers to Peter, Paul walked away with the full amount.

Medical professionals Chris Kurt-Gabel, Lee Taylor and Caroline Howard were next asking for £50,000 investment for a 10% in their first aid training business. Despite an interesting demonstration of CPR, the trio failed to get the dragon's hearts racing and they left the den empty handed.

Without Hilary bringing some colour to the den, it was left to Brian Smith and his Popagami (TM2558113) to entertain the dragons. Despite the Dragons racing to make their 3D pictures, unimpressed by his business plan, Brian received no offers.

Father and daughter duo Simon and Georgie King were next up hoping to hit it big with the dragons looking for £60,000 in return for 20% equity in their musical 'Drum Chasers'. Like many of the entrepreneurs on this weeks show, Simon and Georgie have not registered the name of their musical which leaves them vulnerable to competitors using the same name or logo.

Did you know - Trade Marks are commonly used as marketing tool so that customers can recognise your product or services. Remember - A trade mark cannot be registered if it describes the goods or services quantity, quality or value.

Impressed by the drummers but not by the profit margins, none of the dragons were prepared to make an offer.

Promises Prom Dress owner Lyndsey Porter and letter maker Adriene Layne of Yellobutterfly (TM2556962) both failed to bag an investment.

At the end of a long day, it was down to Karinna Oldale to impress looking for £115,000 for 17% equity of her granular and fluid de-icer Envirothaw (E9308149).

Karina mentioned that she does not own the IP Rights and that her product is shipped in from China. If you want to use someone else's intellectual property (IP), you may need to seek permission from the owner of the IP and to ask under what terms you can use their IP. This agreement may be in the form of a licence. There are different kinds of licences available to you. Our booklet "Licensing intellectual property - checklist (657Kb)" provides an overview.

Theo was the only Dragon to make an offer for the full amount but for 50% of the business. After explaining that she was unable to accept due to promises made to her husband and son, Karina walked away with nothing.

Congratulations to all involved in this week's episode of Dragons' Den. The Dragons will be taking a break next week and will be returning on 11 November 2012. So don't forget to come back then and see our blog.

Welcome back to episode 9 of Dragons Den! It's good to see lots mentioned on Patent's this week which goes to show the entrepreneurs are definitely aware of the importance of Intellectual Property.

First to enter the Den was Hannah Windrass, looking for £80,000 in return for 15% equity in her 'Kneebo' invention, a device which aids those with back, knee or hip problems.

Duncan questioned Hannah stating that he already seen her invention in 1997, with Hannah responding that she filed her patent GB2404143 in 2003 and had the certificate of grant to show it. After viewing the documents, Duncan argued that other patents have been cited singling out US5303430 . Although there are other products available on the market, Hannah's patent guarantees her protection on the specific combination of features which define her invention and distinguish it from other similar products.

More information about 'how we search' can found on our website.

Not convinced it would sell and disbelief at the amount of money Hannah had invested in her invention, the Dragons' urged her not to spend any more money or time on it.

Product Designer Ashley Sayed entered the Den looking for an investment of £150,000 for 25% equity in his company 'Karuma Innovations' which produces playbase tablets. Ashley points out in his pitch that one of the tablets is the world's first antibacterial tablet which uses patented technology to kill 99.9% of germs on the screen and silicon covers.

Whilst being questioned by Deborah, Ashley mentions that his patent is pending and was only filed 2 months ago, this means Ashley will still need to request a search and examination in order for a patent to be granted.

For more information on how to apply for a patent, take a look at the applying for a patent pages of our website.

Peter was the only Dragon to make an offer, offering the full amount to employ Ashley directly, stating that if the product was ready for market and made money within 12 months, he would fold the concept in to one of his existing businesses giving Ashley 25% ownership of that division. He added that, if after 12 months, the product was not successful, Peter and Ashley would go their separate ways. After careful consideration, Ashley was happy to accept the offer.

Business partners Natalie Balmond and Weze Hannam came in to Den looking for £90,000 investment for 15% equity of their 'Pure Potions Skincare' range. Natalie gave an impressive pitch mentioning that she would like to grow the brand in to a household name.

A search of the trade marks database reveals that Natalie and Weze have already taken the first step by registering Pure Potions (TM2613221) and Pure Potion Skin Salvation (TM2613130). For more information on brands please visit the what is a brand? pages on our website.

Not convinced the company was worth investing in, no offers were made.

Last in the Den were husband and wife team Keith and Ann Procter of 'Protec Covers' who were looking for £75,000 in exchange for 10% equity. Ann mentions in the pitch that the fabric that the covers are made of have a 'patented breather membrane' which stops the water going through. Remember, a patent protects new inventions and covers how things work, what they do, how they do it, what they are made of and how they are made.

If you want more information on what a patent is and what it can do for you then you should go to the what is a patent? pages on our website.

After the pitch, one of Hilary's questions raised the possible complications of families being involved in the business. Undeterred and impressed by the financials of the company, Duncan was first to make an offer of £37,500 for 16% of the company. With the guarantee that the children would be kept separate to the business, Hilary was second to make an offer for the same amount. Not happy with giving away 32% of the business, it was finally agreed that Keith and Ann would walk away with the full amount leaving Duncan and Hilary with 13% equity each.

Congratulations to all involved in a very inventive episode of Dragons' Den this week. Don't forget to come back next week for another IP blog.

It's been another inventive week in the Den.

First down the stairs was Stephen Charrot of Dayfame which provides luxury VIP experiences to its members. With 30% equity on offer for £100,000, Stephen made a passionate pitch mentioning several times that he has 'created a brand'. A search of the trade marks database however, shows that 'Dayfame' has not been applied for or registered.

To build a brand, the first thing you should think about is protecting it. A brand is a 'promise of an experience' and conveys to consumers a certain assurance as to the nature of the product or service they will receive. Intellectual Property rights provide legal protection for some of the most important aspects of a brand, such as trade marks.

Being passionate about his business wasn't enough to convince the Dragons to invest; however, Peter was impressed enough with Stephen as an individual to make him a possible job offer.

Dominic Ricciardi of Caterquip (TM2611957) (supplier of re-conditioned catering equipment) entered the Den looking for £100,000 in exchange for 10% equity of his new franchise. If you plan to franchise your business, or you plan to take a franchise from a franchisor then our IP Healthcheck tool (Franchising Diagnostic) is for you.

Hilary tells Dominic that he cannot franchise without 'brand awareness', and although 'Caterquip' is a registered trade mark, there is a difference. The term 'brand' is sometimes used synonymously with 'trade mark', in commercial circles the term 'brand' is used in a much wider sense. A company's brand refers to a combination of tangible and intangible elements such as the trade mark, design, logo and also the concept, image and reputation associated with that business.

With each Dragon having their own reasons not to invest, Dominic left the Den empty handed.

Matthew Page and Louise Craven of 'Syangi Intelligence Ltd' pitched for £95,000 in exchange for 20% equity in their 'patent pending hand tool'. A quick search of the Esp@cenet search engine reveals that GB2482945 has met all the legal requirements and been granted.

Some tough questioning led to Duncan and Theo discussing objecting to a patent and the reasons for it. There are several ways of objecting to a patent before and after is it granted - please see objecting for the different options.

With none of the Dragons impressed by the product, no offers were made.

Last in the Den was Mark Richardson who was looking for £100,000 investment in return for 40% of his company which sells the 'Bionic Glove', part of an orthopaedic hand protection range. The Esp@cenet search engine shows that WO0154776 protects this patent internationally - did you know you can protect your invention in many international countries using the Patent Co-Operation Treaty (PCT) through the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

Mark reveals in his pitch that he has 'exclusive distribution rights' within Europe for the next 5 years. If you want to use someone else's Intellectual Property (IP), you will need to seek permission from the owner and to ask what terms you can use their IP. More information on licensing is available on our website.

Theo surprised himself by making an offer of £50,000 for 20% equity of the business with Deborah making a joint offer. Mark was happy to agree and walked away with the investment he needed.

Why not come along to one of our FREE Get It Right - First Time events held throughout the UK to better understand how to protect your Intellectual Property and your responsibilities as a first time director.

It's episode 11 of the Dragons Den blog and lots of Intellectual Property (IP) mentioned again this week.

First to face the Dragons was Mark Ferguson and Emma Jones with their MyBunjee (E9805359) product, a device that secures any mobile phone from hitting the floor by way of coiled bunjee cord clip.

In the pitch, Mark and Emma mention that they are '14 months in to a patent and the searches are being done at the moment'. Regardless of how original you think your invention is, a patent may already protect part or all of it, because of this, you must request us to search your patent application - for information on how to apply for a patent and apply for a search, please visit our website.

A quick search of Esp@cenet shows me that not only have they applied for a patent in the UK (GB2488641 ), but also in the United States (US2012223111 ). If both are applications are granted, it will give Mark and Emma the right to prevent others from making or selling the invention in these countries.

When applying for a patent, trade mark or registered design, the application procedure can seem quite daunting; IP advisors can assist in drafting applications on your behalf and can also help with the legal aspects of IP. When choosing an IP advisor, ask yourself, are you clear what services you want and how an advisor will add value? Does the advisor have the skills you need and have experience in the relevant field? With help answering these questions and more, please refer to our Choosing the Right IP Advisor booklet (602Kb).

Impressed by sales figures and projected profits, Hilary was the first Dragon to make an offer (£70,000 for 20% equity), Duncan second (£70,000 for 10% equity), Peter third (£70,000 for 35% equity) and Deborah forth (£70,000 for 15% equity). Peter's expertise in the telecommunications field persuaded Mark and Emma to accept his offer.

ITSOLES (E6922223) creator Mark Shepherd entered the Den looking for £50,000 in return for 15% equity of his business. Mark mentions he has a patent pending and should be granted by the end of the year. A quick search of Esp@cenet shows me that Mark has applied for a patent in the UK (GB2442293 ) and Europe (EP2131692 ). To protect your patent in more than 30 countries in Europe, please see Patent Protection in Europe for further information.

With Duncan suggesting that Marks biggest competitor (Scholl) might be sitting and waiting to object to Marks patent and Deborah stating that the existing product on the market is already good enough – no offers were made.

Last in the Den were Christopher Eves and nephew Luke Booth offering 10% equity in exchange for £50,000 of their company P4CK (TM2611966), which specialise in portable food and drink carrier solutions.

A nervous pitch produced lots of discussion on IP, with Luke mentioning they have a patent pending on their '4 pint beer carrier' and they own the patent for the 'brown bag with cardboard outer'. A quick search of Esp@cenet shows no result for these inventions which means both are just applications pending and no information on them has been published.

If an application meets our requirements, we publish it just after 18 months from the filing or priority date. We will also make many of the documents on the open part of file for the patent available to the public which includes publishing them on our website. For more information on publishing, please refer to after you apply.

With several thinking an investment would be too much of a risk, Theo was the only make Dragon to make an offer (£50,000 for 30% equity) which Christopher and Luke were happy to accept.

That's it for another week, well done to all involved and don't forget to come back next week for another IP packed blog.

Welcome to our last Intellectual Property (IP) blog of series 10.

First to brave the Dragons were Naomi Kibble and Helen McAvoy of Rocktails - a new premium brand of frozen cocktails. Looking for £80,000 for an 8% stake, Naomi and Helen gave a confident pitch which ended with the Dragons sampling the cocktails.

Helen stated in the pitch that they 'are focussing on the UK market to build their brand before going internationally in 2014'. A quick search of the trade marks database reveals Naomi and Helen have successfully registered Rocktails (TM2584372) in the UK, which means they can now apply internationally. When filing an international application, you must base it on an application or registration in one of the member countries. If you apply though the UK Office, your international application must be based on a UK trade mark.

Did you know that a single international trade mark application can cover up to 89 countries? Further information and a full list of member countries can be found on the World Intellectual Property Office website .

Discussion on the high valuation of the company and sales volumes led to Peter and Duncan offering £80,000 in return for a much larger stake of 40% equity, as well as an opportunity of partnering up. After deliberation and the two Dragons agreeing to relinquish a 10% share if they make £500,000 profit in a year, Naomi and Helen walked away with the investment they needed.

Carkoon co-founder Jeff Meers entered the Den looking for £100,000 in return for 20% equity of a new baby safe car seat. Another trade marks database search shows that Jeff understands the benefits of registering a trade mark by revealing that Carkoon (TM2568053) and Carkoon - When Safe is Not Safe Enough (TM2595811) are registered in the UK and Carkoon (TMU00001093995) internationally.

To discuss projections, Jeff is joined by his chief finance officer Peter Jones who informs the Dragons that the idea is to 'licence the technology to an existing car seat company'. Licensing Intellectual Property is important to all sorts of businesses - companies can derive significant income from licensing, and licensing can offer flexibility in the way a business develops.

When questioned by Deborah, Peter also mentions that the investment will be spent on Spark Design (developers) and patent lawyers. We can offer general advice here at the Intellectual Property Office but for help with a patent application you need to get advice from a patent professional/attorney or specialist advisor. Our website contains help on choosing the right IP advisor.

With Jeff and Peter not revealing the size of the license market, none of the Dragons were willing to make an offer.

Mark Tilley came in to Den looking for an investment of £100,000 for a 16% share in his company. Mark is the inventor of the Boatbox - a vehicle roof box which can be easily removed and turned over to become a boat.

In his pitch, Mark highlights that he has 'filed a patent application and lawyers are doing the searches looking for prior art and believe it to be the first product of this nature in the world'. Prior art is a legal term that when applied to your idea broadly means any evidence in a recorded form whatsoever that tends to demolish or chip away the novelty of your inventive step. In short, prior art means it's been done before. Further information on how we search can be found on our website.

Good cash projections and talk of strong orders tempted Theo to consider making an offer - but with Mark only willing to part with a maximum of 25% equity, no offer was made.

Congratulations to all who gained investment from the Dragons in this week’s episode and this series. We would also like to thank the BBC, Dragons and all involved in the production of Dragons Den for another excellent series.

Welcome to a special Christmas edition of Dragons' Den. Like children waiting eagerly to see Santa, the entrepreneurs from today's episode hope the Dragons can make all their wishes come true.

First to face the Dragons is Melanie Hurley or Mrs Christmas as she calls herself! Melanie is looking for a £100,000 investment for a 20% stake in her 3D animated film 'Rocket the Reindeer'. A quick search of the trade marks database reveals that Rocket the Reindeer (E8737538) is a registered trademark in Europe.

Did you know that to protect your trademark in 27 European Countries (including the UK) costs from as little as EUR 900 to file online (e-filing). Further information on applying in Europe can be found on our website.

Copyright will also protect the film and a number of its components, for example, the original screenplay, the music score and so on. It is important to know that copyright is an automatic right, no application is needed and no fees need to be paid.

Hoping to warm the Dragons' hearts, Melanie introduces Rocket and Cheeky, two loveable characters from the film. However, the festive mood is brought to an abrupt end when the Dragons start to quiz Melanie on her finances. Not impressed by the answers given, none of the Dragons’ chose to invest.

Frank Hursey, accompanied by his mother Babs, soon followed. They were looking for an investment in their business venture Woolly Babs (TM2617822) which supplies a range of festive jumpers.

The jumpers could be protected by registered designs which protect the overall visual appearance of a product. Did you know it costs £60 to apply to register a single design or first design in any multiple applications? - Every additional design in a multiple application then costs £40 each. Not convinced that the range of novelty knitwear would make a profit, no offers were made.

Allison Whitmarsh entered the Den with her selection of homemade cakes with a unique twist. Allison is pitching for a £50,000 investment for a 10% share in her business 'Propermaid – Ladies who bake '.

Allison mentions in her pitch that she would like to 'build a national brand'. In order to build a brand, it is important to register your trading name, as it distinguishes your goods and services from those of your competitors.

Whilst the Dragons thoroughly enjoy sampling Allison's cakes, both Duncan and Hillary decide not to invest, feeling that the homemade quality would be lost if mass produced. However, Allison’s pitch tickles Theo and Deborah’s taste buds who both make an offer. Allison eventually accepts Deborah’s offer of the full amount for 25% equity.

Craig Head came into the Den looking to become the next Christmas No 1 with his song 'Pull My Cracker'. Craig's song is automatically protected by copyright as it applies to original written works such as lyrics for songs, novels, newspaper articles and so on. More information on what copyright applies to can be found on our website.

Not won over with Craig's singing or song writing abilities, none of the Dragons were willing to make an offer.

The last entrepreneurs to put themselves at the mercy of the Dragons are David Harvey and Ben Lewis, with their fair-trade wooden board game Pucket (TM2532747). Both Ben and David are hoping the Dragons will invest £50,000 in their concept for a 10% share.

Whilst the duo has already registered the name Pucket, Intellectual Property can potentially protect several aspects of the board game. Copyright may exist on both the artistic work of the board game and the written instructions. There may be design rights on any three-dimensional pieces, the board itself and the packaging and any new, inventive, technical features could be protected by a patent.

Once the Dragons had enjoyed a spot of friendly competition trialling the game, they questioned the duo on their sales figures and costs. Unimpressed by the response, none of the Dragons were willing to invest on this occasion.

That's it for another year! We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone that appeared on this Christmas special and in series 10 and look forward to seeing many more success stories in 2013.