Reviewed 27 February 2009

Intellectual Property Office launches online toolkit

Diagnostic tool will help innovators and start-ups realise the value of IP

The Intellectual Property Office today launches its IP healthcheck service, an online tool designed to help innovators and business owners understand intellectual property (IP) and find out how to protect their ideas and creations to drive their business forward.

The tool, available at www.ipo.gov.uk/iphealthcheck, is free to use, and offers advice on identifying, protecting and commercially exploiting IP. It also allows users to learn more about the different types of IP: trade marks, copyright works, patents, designs, design rights and confidential information, and establish in which of these areas they require support.

The toolkit guides users through a step-by-step process, helping them to identify IP opportunities and maximise the value they could add to their overall business development. Users complete an online questionnaire, and receive a tailored confidential report, with recommended action points on protecting and exploiting IP, guidance on how to put those in place, and links to further information.

David Lammy, Minister for Intellectual Property said:

"Innovation and enterprise are at the heart of the UK economy and I want employers and employees alike to understand the value of intellectual property and its role in the working environment.

By protecting their work people are safeguarding their ideas for the future and asserting the right to profit from their own inventions. This web tool highlights the opportunities offered by intellectual property and I want to encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of its advice. The UK’s future economic success depends largely on our ability to innovate and create new products and services so it is vitally important that we support businesses in their work."

Lawrence Smith-Higgins, Head of Business Outreach and Education at the Intellectual Property Office, adds:

"Especially in the current climate, it’s vital for businesses to realise that IP can be one of their most valuable assets, demonstrably improving their competitive performance and acting as a measure of innovation and creativity. The launch of the IP healthcheck will help business owners and innovators understand the processes involved in protecting their ideas, and converting them into tangible business assets."

Notes to editors

  • The Intellectual Property Office is within the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and responsible for the national framework of Intellectual Property rights, comprising patents, designs, trade marks and copyright.
  • Its role is to help manage an IP system that encourages innovation and creativity, balances the needs of consumers and users, promotes strong and competitive markets and is the foundation of the knowledge based economy.
  • It operates in a national and an international environment and its work is governed by national and international law, including various international treaties relating to IP to which the United Kingdom is a party.

Date of release: 27 February 2009