Realising the value of patenting your product
Do you have an idea or invention and not quite sure where to start?
Protecting an invention is often the first hurdle to clear before taking your product to market, and so we’ve teamed up with the British Library to provide guidance on how to protect your idea.
Top tips from successful entrepreneurs
![Chip[s] Board](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_crop_1920_1080/public/2021-07/chipsboard_0.png?itok=UVXeTNrK)
BellaMoon
BellaMoon is a multi-functional pregnancy, breastfeeding and infant support pillow. It supports all breastfeeding positions and is uniquely designed for mothers who like to lie on their side to feed their babies laterally.
Chip[s] Board
Utilises resources from waste management currently available to create new products and materials.
HUUB
HUUB are leaders in innovative wetsuit design for triathletes and open water swimmers.
WASE
WASE develops decentralised wastewater treatment systems that embrace a circular economy to recover energy, nutrients, and water in wastewater.
Did you know?
The concept of patenting came from royalty and was a way of encouraging new trades from abroad
The second official patent created was granted to Nicholas Hilliard, the miniaturist, for reproducing the King’s appearance
John of Utynam is the recipient of the first known English patent, granted in 1449 by King Henry VI. John was a master glassmaker from Flanders who came to England to make the coloured glass windows for Eton College and other college chapels. The patent granted him a 20-year monopoly on the making of stained glass
On average, three quarters of all patents submitted are rejected – the most common reasons are that the ideas are not inventive enough, or for financial reasons
The official patenting system as we know it today was created more than 402 years ago, in 1617, where the first official patent was granted to Aron Rathburne and Roger Burges for map engraving
The average cost of applying for a patent ranges from £320 -£4,000, although this figure can be much higher
UK patents granted global competitors
- 3,001 patents granted by British inventors in 2018 altogether
- 8% decline in patents granted to British entrepreneurs and companies in 2018, the biggest year-on-year decline since 2013
- UK lags in 9th place in global league table for successful patents, dwarfed by China (115x more patents granted), Japan (51x more) and the US (48x more)
- 14% increase on patents granted to European inventors
- 345,959 patents granted to Chinese inventors in 2018 – that’s more patents in one year alone than all UK patents granted since records began (22,748)
UK patents granted regionally
- Three regions in terms of annual growth are:
- North West: 22%
- Northern Ireland: 8%
- Wales: 5%
- Three regions in terms of annual decline are:
- Yorkshire and Humber: -25%
- South West: -25%
- East Midlands: -23%
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