Advisors and support

Business advisors

There are networks of business advisors in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales offering advice to businesses of all sizes.

• England
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
• Wales

Business support products

Our Business Support team offer a range of outreach products and services to support UK businesses.

• IP Insight
  
  Our free monthly e-newsletter offering readers the latest developments in Intellectual Property (IP) news, views from the Intellectual Property Office and IP professionals, IP stories in the media, and details of IP events and exhibitions.
  
  
• Business advice open days
  
  Held at regional venues across the UK, these free events are run by HM Revenue and Customs. They bring together experts from business support organisations to guide you through everything you need to know about setting up and running a business. We run an IP seminar at these events, which will give you an overview of how IP can work for your business.
  
  
• Business Advisor IP workshops
  
  Workshops are delivered throughout the UK for groups of business advisers. We have recently delivered a comprehensive IP training programme for UK Trade and Investment’s International Advisors and can offer similar packages for your business support organisation. Please e-mail market@ipo.gov.uk for more information.
  
  
• IP Master Class
  
  The IP Master Class is suitable for those who want to develop their knowledge and skills of IP. We have developed this course in partnership with Coventry University and the British Library. Accredited by Coventry University and supported by both IP professional bodies, the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, this specialist course focuses on all aspects of intellectual property.
  Please e-mail communications@ipo.gov.uk for more information.
  
  
• Exhibitions and seminars
  
  We attend many seminars and exhibitions offering delegates advice and information about the benefits businesses gain from understanding, using and protecting their intellectual property. Details of up and coming seminars and exhibitions can be found on our events calendar.

Business support publications

• My IP - Intellectual Property Explained (1.31Mb)
• Licensing Intellectual Property (427Kb)
• Licensing Intellectual Property - Checklist (119Kb)
• Confidentiality and Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDA) (173Kb)
• Agreeing a price for Intellectual Property Rights (359Kb)
• Agreeing a price for Intellectual Property Rights - Checklist (147Kb)
• Intellectual Property Awareness Survey 2006 (1.86Mb)

UK Trade & Investment and Intellectual Property Office publications

UK Trade & Investment in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office have developed a series of IP Primers to help British companies in the major markets around the world.

• Intellectual Property Rights Primer for Brazil (352Kb)
• Intellectual Property Rights Primer for China (390Kb)
• Intellectual Property Rights Primer for Korea (441Kb)
• Intellectual Property Rights Primer for India (362Kb)
• Intellectual Property Rights Primer for Vietnam (344Kb)

The IP Primers examine IPR in Brazil, China, India, Korea and Vietnam.

European Patent Office (EPO) publications

• Inventors’ Handbook

The purpose of this Inventors' Handbook is to provide you with basic guidance on all the key stages of turning an invention into a commercial product. Or perhaps we should say the key stages of turning an idea into an enterprise, if we are to widen our definition of 'invention' to include novel processes, business methods, social interactions etc.

European project - IPeuropAware

• IPR-Helpdesk and Innovaccess website

Provides assistance to SME's and other stake holders in IP issues. IPR Helpdesk focuses on the specific IP issues involved in R&D and innovative EU funded projects. InnovAccess provides SME's with direct access to national and EU resources and general IP issues.