Learn about risks to your Intellectual Property (IP)

Intellectual property, or IP, is any form of original creation that can be bought or sold, from music to machinery. When you’re doing business overseas, you need to keep it secure.

There are many simple and cost effective ways of protecting your ideas and your business.

IP exists in four main forms: patents, trade marks, designs and copyright. Each provides different ways with which to guard your property.

• Patents protect the processes that make things work.

• Trade marks protect logos that distinguish goods and services.

• Designs protect the look of three-dimensional shapes.

• Copyright protects material only when it is written down or recorded.

Key resources

• Key information on how to protect your IP abroad, which is available from the Intellectual Property Office. It offers various forms of support and advises on all four main forms: patent protection abroad, trade marks abroad, designs protection abroad and copyright abroad.

• The Overseas Business Risk country pages include up-to-date information from our overseas network on intellectual property in over 90 markets.

• IP guides designed to help UK companies protect and enforce their intellectual property rights when trading in six overseas markets: Brazil, China, India, Korea, Vietnam and USA.

• The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), website includes information from 185 Member States on membership of the different WIPO treaties; national IP legislation; contact details of IP Offices; country profile, and more.

• The website of the European Commission provides information about EU activities in the area of Intellectual Property

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You can also call the UKTI enquiry line: +44 (0)20 7215 5000 or contact your local trade team and talk with one of UKTI’s country specialists. Or you can gain country specific information on our Overseas Business Risk country pages.