Finding A Way To Protect Your Ideas Before It's Too Late

There is no doubt that a strong intellectual property (IP) portfolio can offer an emerging business security from more established companies, as well as add value through which investment may be secured. In the fast moving realm of technology in particular, it is important to keep up or risk being left behind. Recently, we saw that Rubiks Brand Limited, the makers of the well-known multi-coloured cube, has sued the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over delays in a decision over its trademarking of the shape of its product. This has many people asking if our legal systems are falling behind the pace of innovation.

Whilst delays at the ECJ are a concern, they need not be an impediment to protecting your innovations, not least because the ECJ, whose job it is to interpret European law, is not normally involved in the vast majority of IP-related disputes in Europe. Disputes relating to patents, the primary tool for securing protection for inventions, are, for example,