Insight: The importance of Intellectual Property training for manufacturing and engineering businesses

Intellectual Property (IP) is a complex subject, yet it’s an essential part of any manufacturing or engineering business. IP can play a crucial part in securing a company’s competitive advantage, so it’s imperative to understand how, and why it’s important to protect it. Adrian Hocking, Patents Director at Albright IP explains.

Why is it important for business employees to know what IP is?

Giving your employees an understanding of Intellectual Property helps protect valuable company assets, such as new products, systems, and processes. With the correct knowledge, costly infringement can also be avoided. By encouraging employees to understand the value of creating and protecting new ideas and inventions, it can also increase a company’s innovation.

Amongst other things, IP encompasses patent, trade marks, design rights, and copyright. Many businesses fail to understand the importance of these areas of IP and aren’t equipped with the knowledge needed to protect their business, or brand. This is why Albright IP has introduced its IP Untangled training programme.

IP Untangled is an interactive round-the-table introduction to IP that covers key areas including patents, trade marks and copyright. It’s designed to be informative, and engaging – offering businesses, and their employees an understanding of the importance of IP, and what the associated risks are when Intellectual Property isn’t protected.

IP can play a crucial part in securing a company’s competitive advantage, so it’s imperative to understand how, and why it’s important to protect it / Picture: Getty/iStock

The training explores what IP means, and what needs to be considered when protecting a new product, invention or innovation. It covers patents, trade marks, Registered Designs, and copyright – giving attendees the tools needed to understand, and put their knowledge into action. Everything from protecting intellectual property abroad, to maximising tax savings and reducing corporation tax using Patent Box is included.

The bespoke sessions are tailored to attendees’ knowledge, with time set aside for questions and discussions, to ensure any areas of interest are covered. It’s relevant, accessible, and practical. You don’t have to have prior experience in IP to make use of our IP Untangled training programme.

It’s important for all manufacturing and engineering companies to be aware of IP, and training will help to maintain, and keep internal processes up to date. Giving designers, engineers, and business teams a deeper understanding of why IP matters can increase productivity and build a culture of respect for intellectual property.

For companies that need more detailed IP training, Albright IP can help expand your knowledge and focus on specific issues affecting your business, including infringement searches and analysis, how to read and analyse a patent, and how to conduct pre-patent searches, so you can determine what’s already out there.

IP training is an invaluable resource, and Albright IP’s IP Untangled training programme is suitable for engineering and manufacturing businesses of all sizes. If you are interested in IP training, please contact Albright IP via email at  info@allbright-ip.co.uk.