Knowledge Centre
Guides
Practical explanations of procedures and paperwork
These articles explain how the procedures work and what documentation is normally involved. They are written for a general audience and are not advice on any particular matter.
What the patent application process actually involves
The stages between an invention disclosure and a granted registration, the documents each stage expects, and where applicants most often lose time.
Who owns copyright when you commission work
Why ownership of a commissioned piece does not automatically pass to the paying party, and how a written assignment changes the position.
Choosing the right trade mark class
How the goods and services classes work, why an over-broad specification creates costs later, and how to read an availability result.
A closer look at the patent application route
The route from an idea to a granted patent is a sequence of administrative stages rather than a single application. It normally begins with a written description of the invention and, where relevant, drawings that show how it works. A filing date is then established, which fixes your position relative to later filings by others. After that comes a search stage, in which the office identifies earlier material that may be relevant, followed by publication of the application and, finally, examination on the substantive questions.
Most delay we see is administrative rather than substantive. Descriptions arrive without drawings, drawings lack reference numerals that the description refers to, ownership details are inconsistent between the application and the company records, or a response deadline is missed because the correspondence went to an address nobody was monitoring. A checklist and a deadline schedule remove most of that risk.
Commissioned work and how copyright ownership moves
Commissioning a piece of work and paying for it does not, by itself, transfer copyright in it. The default position in the United Kingdom is that the author of a work is its first owner, with specific exceptions such as work created by an employee in the course of employment. Where a business pays a freelance designer, photographer, writer or developer, ownership of the copyright normally stays with the creator unless there is a written assignment.
That is why a written assignment, signed by the person transferring the rights and identifying the work clearly, matters more than the invoice. A licence is a different instrument: it allows use on stated terms without transferring ownership. Knowing which of the two you need, before a project starts, avoids a difficult conversation later.
Choosing the right trade mark class
A trade mark application is filed against one or more classes of goods and services. The class you choose determines what the registration covers and what it does not, and a specification that is too broad invites objection while one that is too narrow leaves part of your activity unprotected. The practical approach is to describe what you actually sell or provide now, add what you can genuinely evidence as intended in the near future, and keep the wording specific enough to be understood.
An availability result is information, not a clearance. It tells you what earlier marks exist that may be relevant. Deciding whether a particular earlier mark prevents you from using yours is a legal question, and that is where advice from a suitably qualified professional belongs.
General information only. The guides above are written for a general audience. They are not tailored to your circumstances and must not be relied on as advice. Please see our Disclaimer.
