Dealing with infringement
The needs of businesses will vary. What is right for a factory unit or a small office may not suit larger more complex organisations. The common thread is that doing nothing is not a sensible option given the risks it can pose for you and your business. Whether your business is small or large there is a range of actions you can take to make sure that Intellectual Property (IP) rights infringement is not occurring within your business environment.
Preventative steps will help to safeguard you and your business, but once infringing activities have been identified, a fast and effective response is essential. You therefore need to be prepared, even if you are not currently aware of any such problems in your business.
Clear processes and procedures will help you to embed respect for IP with managers and staff, creating the right company ethos and ensuring that you identify potential problem areas and manage them properly.
Staff and managers need to understand what IP is, how IP rights can be infringed and the risks this can pose - both for them and for the business. Staff in corporate functions, such as Human Resources (HR), Information Technology (IT), finance and procurement have a particularly important role to play in spreading information and good practice.
Preventative procedures and policies
Guidance is available on the procedures and processes you and your business can adopt to prevent infringement occurring. Information includes: HR policies, license management and processes for site visits. Advice on what to do if you identify any criminal IP offences relating to IP rights infringement taking place in your business is also covered.
Raising awareness within your business
Practical tools have been developed to help you educate staff and management about the importance of IP and how to comply with the relevant law. These include sample slide packs to help raise awareness and improve understanding.
Actions to take - your next step
What actions do you and your business need to take to respond to this issue.
Leaflet for small businesses, sites and industrial units 
(93Kb)
This leaflet will direct you to specific advice on key issues and steps you can take to address the problem. It will also provide links to online tools found in this guide.