Libraries open doors. Join a thriving business community in your local library.
The British Library’s National Network of Business & IP Centres is transforming the way ideas grow into successful businesses. We’re supporting a thriving community of bright and inspiring people in South Yorkshire by partnering with local libraries all over the region. Offering insights and access to free resources, training and events ñ both online and in-person we’ll help you imagine, start or develop your business. Whether you’re just setting out, need advice on protecting your intellectual property, or simply have a brilliant idea you want to discuss, we’re here to guide you. You can find our National Network in regional hubs around Britain – each one based in a local library. We’ll meet you wherever you live and whatever your ambition. With new locations set to open soon, and a growing collection of helpful tools available online, we’re bringing business inspiration and support to more people than ever before to help you nurture your ambitions and plan for a bright future.
What is Intellectual Property, and do I have it?
You may not have thought that you have intellectual property (IP) that you need to protect, or it’s something you can think about later.
Most businesses rely on some sort of ‘know how‘, idea or way of doing things, that distinguishes them from their competitors. To be successful and grow your business, understanding what it is that is unique about you is crucial. That’s where we come in.
There are many different sorts of ‘IP’ and we can help you identify the type you need to know about and how to protect it.
Copyright
Copyright is an automatic right that does not need to be registered.
It applies to the expression of an idea such as literature, music or art.
Patents
A patent protects your invention and lets you take legal action against anyone who makes, uses, sells or imports your invention without your permission.
Registered designs
Registered designs protect the look and appearance of a product. Designs operate on a first-come, first-served basis. If someone else has already registered or disclosed your design or a similar one, it is not available.
Trade marks
A trade mark is any sign used by a trader to distinguish their goods and services from those of others. It must be both: capable of being graphically represented and capable of being distinguished.
Why should I conduct market research before starting my business?
Market research should never be underestimated. It’s the simplest way for entrepreneurs to keep up with market trends and maintain a competitive edge by sizing up your business opportunity.
Having a greater understanding of your marketplace from the very start will enable you to create a sound business strategy to establish and grow your brand into one that’s better than the competition.
Our databases, publications and industry guides (including Mintel, IBISWorld, Fame, Grantfinder and more) provide you with essential information, from competitor analysis to intellectual property basics.
These resources are worth more than £5million and are freely available so you can use your hard-earned money on other aspects of your business.
Undertaking this research will help you find out what your customers think about your product or service, including how much they are prepared to pay for it. You can discover new ways to engage with your customers and find out what they really think, find new suppliers, find new business sales leads and up to date grant and finance opportunities.
Many successful new businesses enjoy longevity because their owners conduct regular market research to understand their target market, identify consumer problems and pinpoint realistic competitors, and are twice as likely to succeed beyond three years if they use the support of a Business & IP Centre.
It’s all about knowing your customers, getting it right from the beginning and beating the competition.
Find out more at sheffield.gov.uk/bipc or get in touch at bipcsheffield@sheffield.gov.uk
Libraries are not just full of books. They are full of ideas. And the UK is one of the best places in the world to start a business.
For Sophie Heaton, business engagement and marketing manager for the Business & IP Centre South Yorkshire, bringing the two together just makes sense. With a background in business engagement and a wealth of experience in providing advice and guidance, the chance to be involved in this expansion project was an opportunity not to be missed.
“I’ve been working with businesses across the Sheffield City Region for several years now, in various roles. It never ceases to amaze me how supportive our business community is. I spent much of last year working to support businesses through the pandemic, signposting to support schemes in the region and speaking with them about their situations.
“Whilst this has been an extremely challenging time for many businesses, and sadly we have lost many, it was encouraging to have almost daily conversations with individuals who wanted to bring their lockdown ideas to life, or feel that now is the right time to get their dream business up and running.”
Business & IP Centre South Yorkshire supports entrepreneurs, inventors and small businesses from that first spark of inspiration to successfully launching and developing a business.
The Centre was first opened in Sheffield in 2015 and within the first three years helped to created almost 400 business, 320 additional jobs and generated £2.8m GVA for the region. Working directly with the British Library since then, the BIPC National Network has supported the creation of over 12,000 new businesses, led to the creation of over 7,800 new jobs and generated an extra £78million GVA to the UK economy.
Now, enabled by a major investment of £13 million announced by the Chancellor last year, the British Library is growing its highly successful network of library-based Business & IP Centres (BIPCs) to over 100 regional and local libraries across England, including in Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and Crystal Peaks libraries. The expansion will equip dozens of regional and local libraries with BIPC spaces, resources, and services by 2023, building on the British Library’s network of small business support already available in 14 city centre libraries across the UK.
“We’re on a mission to ensure libraries, as the heart of the community, are a core part of the business support offering across South Yorkshire. We’re passionate about helping to support businesses, both new and existing, to gain the background knowledge and information that they need before they can get going on their new business venture. We’re here to help businesses and entrepreneurs to protect their unique ideas and products, so they can take the next steps feeling secure and prepared.”
Each Centre is equipped with a core set of resources, such as up-to-date market research and business databases, which are brought to life by a tailored and highly individual programme of events, workshops and one-to-ones, delivered in collaboration with local business leaders, role model entrepreneurs and community partners.
“BIPC Sheffield is often described as a ‘hidden gem’, but we’re hopeful that with this expansion and the opening of four new spoke centres in the region, we can work alongside partners and other business support programmes to be at the forefront of delivering a unique and varied element of start-up and small business support.”
BIPC South Yorkshire works in partnership with local patent and trade mark attorneys to
offer free, confidential clinics for new businesses.
We caught up with Abigail Welford (Franks & Co) and Adam Hirst (Withers & Rogers) to find out more.
Can you tell us a bit about your firm?
Abigail: Franks & Co is a firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, established in Sheffield in 1996. The firm has since expanded to have offices based in Northampton, Manchester and Antwerp in Belgium. We specialise in all aspects of intellectual property (IP) and have successfully helped clients to secure registered and enforceable rights in a variety of areas.
We handle a range of clients from individual inventors to corporate entities and provide a personalised service for all our clients, regardless of their budget.
Adam: We are an established and leading European and UK intellectual property firm with offices in Munich, Paris and across the UK. We have an office in Sheffield and a big team of IP experts across Yorkshire.
We work with a diverse range of clients ranging from individuals to well-known multi-national corporations. As a large firm, we have attorneys with experience and expertise in a variety of fields, meaning that we can tailor our service to make sure that the right team works with each client.
What services do you offer regarding intellectual property?
Abigail: Our attorneys have expertise in all aspects of IP and can advise on what type of IP protection is best for you and support you in obtaining that protection. We can file and progress patent, trade mark and design applications world-wide through our established associates and can enforce and defend intellectual property rights before the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court and High Court. We also offer pre-filing searches to determine if a brand name is free to use and register, and patent searches which provide valuable reassurance before continuing with product launches.
Adam: We advise on the protection and enforcement of IP rights for inventions, trade marks, designs and artistic works. We have wide commercial and industrial experience, and our technical expertise covers all major technologies.
We are a one-stop shop for intellectual property in the European region. We also have a network of attorneys in firms in most countries worldwide whom we can draw upon for protection and advice as required to meet the needs of each client.
Why is it important to protect your intellectual property?
Abigail: Businesses and individuals often spend a lot of time and money developing ideas, brands and products. Without appropriate IP protections in place things such as names, logos and designs may be copied by competitors, depriving the original inventor or business of its uniqueness. There are also potential tax benefits in obtaining IP rights through the Patent Box tax relief scheme. If a business is going to be researching and developing a product, then unless that effort is protected it can easily be copied. But if the IP is protected, then a company can build up a moat around their products to keep competitors out and gain a strong market position.
Adam: By properly protecting your IP, you can prevent others from being able to take advantage of what you have created without your permission. Patents are important as they prevent new products and processes from being exploited by those with no right to them.
Registration of a trade mark prevents others from using the same or similar trade mark, thereby protecting your goodwill and reputation. The shape or appearance of a product is often what is most easily recognised by a customer. Registering a design prevents it being used by someone else for their product.
What are the benefits of working with a patent or trademark attorney?
Abigail: Changes in IP law happen frequently. Working with an attorney means that you will always get the most up to date legal advice and the most appropriate and cost-effective IP protection. An attorney will be able to guide an entrepreneur, inventor, or business so that they have an appreciation of the full range of protection available to them, and ensure they understand the limitations of any such protection.
Sometimes the first time that we encounter a new client is when they have innocently strayed into somebody else’s IP rights. Failing to do research can cost companies a lot of money in written off product development and branding and can cause new products to be removed from the marketplace.
Adam: Applying to protect your intellectual property with the relevant government agency can be a long and complicated process.
Whilst an individual can apply for patents and trade marks themselves, by working with a patent or trade mark attorney they are much more likely not only to achieve a granted patent or registered trade mark, but crucially to achieve a granted patent or registered trade mark that provides the best possible and most useful protection of their intellectual property.
How can a business get in touch with you?
Abigail Welford at Franks & Co: Via our email franksco@franksco.com or telephone 0114 249 9888.
Adam Hirst at Withers & Rogers: You can find out more about us at withersrogers.com or telephone 0114 273 3400.
Did you know that Sheffield Central Library is a Patent Library?
We are part of PatLib UK, a network of organisations across the country, that offer practical help and support with intellectual property.
Not only do we support the local community with workshops and information support about intellectual property, we can help with patent and trademark searches and have one of the largest historical collections of English patents in the country.
Most people think of needing patents to protect current inventions, but others view patents from the past as a valuable historical resource. Sheffield’s Historic Patent Collection goes back as far as 1617, with our online resource dating back to 1836.
Our printed editions of these early patents are not available for public access, but we can support you to access digital copies. As a body of literature, patents are unrivalled in their comprehensive coverage of technology with inventions described in detail which are still commercially applicable today.
Sheffield Central Library receives enquiries from around the country, ranging from academics doing research into specific topics such as aeronautics or steam engines, to a member of the public curious about the patent number on a purchase.
We were recently contacted about a small container a jeweller was working on, wanting to know what it was for. Using the patent number on the device we discovered that it was a holder for ‘tobacco cartridges’.
Our collection also includes several patents granted to Samuel Roberts, a Sheffield silver manufacturer in the early 19th century.
We can also help you if you are undertaking family history searches. A recent family history enquiry concerned patents that the family believed had been granted to an ancestor who was working for a glass bottle manufacturer in Rotherham, in the 1900s.
Not only did we find the patents they were looking for, but also found a patent granted in 1934 to someone with the same surname. As this was new information for the family they were really surprised when we sent it to them, as it was indeed another close relative!
If you are looking for help with applying for a patent, we have monthly patent clinics with free appointments and our staff can give you support information. For historic patent enquiries, ideally we need the patent number or name of the inventor and the year it may have been granted.
Olusola McKenzie is a qualified fashion designer and runs Learn to Re-create, an award-winning social enterprise that offers fashion and textiles education and production. They promote excellence and focus on ethical practices to deliver a sustainable business, that positively impacts human lives and cares for the environment. Learn to Re-create was founded because of a desire to equip people in the fashion and textiles industry with the required skills to thrive in this industry.
“I had an ambition to contribute to the revival of garment and textile accessories production to promote the ‘Made in the UK’ brand. We approached the BIPC as we wanted to understand more about how we could protect our brand and the business. I received business support from an IP lawyer to create a good IP strategy for our new fashion product. In addition, we received advice to implement a robust business strategy for our production set-up and to strengthen our existing training service.”
Olusola McKenzie, Learn to Re-create
In the short-term, Learn to Re-create have plans to set-up a micro-factory to produce their own fashion label. As part of their sales and marketing strategy, they will use Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technology which will enable them to enhance the user experience throughout the key touch points as they interact with the brand. Longer term, they will provide a production service to fashion start-ups and early-stage businesses by taking on commissions for prototyping and to fulfil small quantity orders.
To find out more about how we can support your business, if you have an intellectual property query or need advice on how to research a new business idea, drop us an email and weíll get back in touch.
Email bipcsheffield@sheffield.gov.uk or visit sheffield.gov.uk/bipc
