Section 3 - Compliance

Packaging
Labelling
Recycling
Farm Business Accounts
Environment
Legislation
Copyright / Trade Marking
Health and Safety
Hygiene
Certification / Inspection
Accreditation

Copyright / Trade Marking

Intellectual property can include the name of the business, inventions and designs and are a valuable asset that can lead to increased profits. These can be protected by patents, trademarks or design registrations, but these can involve a long and complex process. There is a wide range of advice and support available, including:

The UK Patent Office is responsible for copyright, designs, patents and trade marks in the UK. Its mission is to stimulate innovation and enhance the international competitiveness of British Industry and commerce.
http://www.ipo.gov.uk

Links to the subjects covered in the main section of the website are given below:

The Patent Office can also provide a number of searches, such as:

Patentability search
To identify any patents or other publications relevant to the novelty and inventiveness of your product or process.
Freedom to operate (FTO) search
To find out if your idea will infringe another patent that is in force.

Validity search
To identify documents which can be used to challenge whether or not a patent is valid.

Grant assessment search
Are you a regional development agency, public-funding organisation or university awarding grants to develop and build on new ideas? The Patent Office will carry out a search for each application, to make it easier for an awarding organisation to decide whether to fund a project.

Trade mark search
This optional search gives preliminary advice on whether your mark meets the requirements for registration, which may be helpful if you are thinking of applying for a trade mark.

Search and Advisory, The Patent Office, Concept House, Cardiff Road, Newport, South Wales NP10 8QQ
E-mail:sas@patent.gov.uk
Phone: 01633 811010
Fax: 01633 811020

The British Library offers a range of services to exploit the most comprehensive range of patent specifications and related material in the world, including:
http://www.bl.uk/collections/patents.html

Free access to trade mark and patent databases
Patent searching
“Workshops” for training in searching
Free workshops helping to find information on the web for patents, designs, trade marks and copyright
Public Availability Data Service
Written confirmation of the earliest date an item of stock was available from any part of the Library’s collections.

Patent Enquiry Desk, British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
E-mail: patents-information@bl.uk
Phone: 020 7412 791
Fax: 020 7412 7480

The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys is the UK professional body dedicated to the protection of trademarks.
http://www.itma.org.uk/

Canterbury House, 2-6 Sydenham Rd, Croydon, Surrey, CRO 9XE
Phone: 020 8686 2052
Fax: 020 8680 5723

The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) is the professional and examining body for patent attorneys (also known as patent agents) in the UK.
http://www.cipa.org.uk/

95 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1DT
E-mail:mail@cipa.org.uk
Phone: 020 7405 9450
Fax: 020 7430 0471

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