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In this episode of Figure 1: an IP conversation, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by Patent Attorney and Director Dr Will Doherty to explore why an intellectual property (IP) audit can be one of the most valuable strategic exercises for any business.

Do you know whether your patents, trade marks, registered designs and copyright are properly protected? Could your business be exposed to unnecessary risk without realising it?

Robert and Will explain what an IP audit is, how the process works, and why it helps businesses identify valuable intellectual property assets, uncover hidden risks, and develop a stronger long-term IP strategy. They also discuss how an IP audit can reveal overlooked opportunities, from strengthening patent protection to ensuring ownership agreements are in place and even identifying commercial benefits such as Patent Box tax relief.

Whether you're an SME, founder, business owner, in-house counsel or IP professional, this episode provides practical advice on protecting innovation, reducing risk and building a commercially focused intellectual property strategy.

The episode covers:

• What an IP audit is and why businesses should carry one out
• How an IP audit identifies gaps in patents, trade marks, registered designs and copyright
• Why SMEs benefit from reviewing their intellectual property strategy
• Common IP risks businesses often overlook
• Missing assignment agreements and ownership of intellectual property
• How competitor analysis forms part of an effective IP audit
• The role of patents, trade marks and design rights in business growth
• How an IP audit supports long-term commercial strategy
• What information businesses need before an IP audit
• The practical recommendations businesses receive after an audit
• How an IP audit can uncover hidden commercial opportunities
• Why proactive IP management helps reduce future legal and commercial risks

If you're looking to understand what an IP audit is, why your business needs one, or how to protect your intellectual property, this episode offers practical, commercially focused guidance from experienced UK patent attorneys.

Figure 1: an IP conversation brings together expert discussions on patents, trade marks, registered designs, copyright, innovation, IP strategy and the commercial realities of protecting intellectual property.

Subscribe to Figure 1: an IP conversation for more expert insights into intellectual property, patents, trade marks, design protection and innovation.

Want help protecting your innovation?

Visit Albright IP: https://www.albright-ip.co.uk

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In this episode of Figure 1: an IP conversation, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by Trade Mark Attorney Joel Weston to explore one of the most important areas of brand protection: trade mark oppositions.

Should you fight, settle or withdraw?

Using the latest UKIPO opposition statistics alongside the well-known BMW v BMU trade mark dispute, Robert and Joel explain how trade mark oppositions work in practice, why many cases never reach a final decision, and what businesses should consider before pursuing lengthy legal proceedings.

The discussion breaks down the legal principles behind likelihood of confusion, explains how hearing officers assess opposition cases, and demonstrates why strong evidence of trade mark use can be the deciding factor in protecting your brand.

Whether you're launching a new business, managing an established brand, or advising clients on intellectual property, this episode provides practical insights into navigating UK trade mark disputes.

The episode covers:
 • What the latest UKIPO trade mark opposition statistics reveal
 • Why most trade mark oppositions settle before a decision
 • Whether it's better to fight, negotiate or withdraw
 • How the UKIPO assesses likelihood of confusion
 • The BMW v BMU trade mark opposition explained
 • Why evidence of trade mark use is so important
 • How enhanced distinctiveness can strengthen your case
 • Practical advice for businesses involved in trade mark disputes

If you're a founder, SME, brand owner or IP professional, this episode offers valuable guidance on protecting your trade marks and making informed commercial decisions during opposition proceedings.

Figure 1: an IP conversation. Real scenarios. Real strategy. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe to Figure 1: an IP conversation for more expert discussions on trade marks, patents, intellectual property strategy and protecting business innovation.

Want help protecting your brand?
 Visit Albright IP: https://www.albright-ip.co.uk

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In the first episode of Season 2 of Figure 1: an IP conversation, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by Freddie Noble, head of Albright IP's computer science patent team, to answer one of the biggest questions facing innovators today:

Can artificial intelligence be patented?

As AI technology, machine learning tools and software-based innovations continue to transform industries, understanding how intellectual property protection applies to these developments has never been more important.

This episode explores the legal challenges surrounding AI patents, software patents and computer-implemented inventions, including the recent UK Supreme Court decision in Emotional Perception AI and what it could mean for businesses, developers, founders and technology companies.

The discussion covers:

• Can AI inventions qualify for patent protection?
• Why software and computer programs face unique patentability challenges
• What does patent law mean by a "technical effect"
• Examples of patentable software innovations
• Why some AI and machine learning inventions succeed while others fail
• The Emotional Perception AI Supreme Court case explained 
• How the UK Intellectual Property Office assesses software patent applications
• The differences between UK and European approaches to software patents
• What founders, developers and businesses should consider before filing a patent application

Whether you're building AI products, developing software, investing in technology, or simply interested in intellectual property, this episode provides practical insight into one of the fastest-moving areas of patent law.

Figure 1: an IP conversation brings together Albright IP's patent and trade mark attorneys to discuss intellectual property, innovation, business growth and the legal issues shaping modern technology.

Figure 1: an IP conversation. Real insights. Real strategy. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe for more episodes covering:
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Patents
• Trade Marks
• Software Protection
• Intellectual Property
• Innovation
• Technology Law
• Start-ups and SMEs

Want advice on protecting your AI or software innovation?

Visit Albright IP:
 www.albright-ip.co.uk

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In this episode of Figure 1: an IP conversation, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by patent attorney Will Doherty to unpack one of the most complex areas of intellectual property: medical technology.

The med tech sector is fast-moving and highly innovative, but it comes with strict patenting rules and unique challenges. From exclusions around the human body to the growing role of AI and data, protecting innovation in this space requires careful strategy and timing.

Through practical insight, the conversation explores how innovators can navigate patent restrictions, avoid disclosure risks, and build a commercially valuable IP portfolio that supports investment and growth.

The episode covers:
 • Why certain medical methods and software are excluded from patent protection
 • How to structure claims to work around patentability challenges
 • What to patent (and when) in early-stage med tech development
 • How to manage disclosure risks during clinical trials and research
 • Protecting AI and data-driven medical innovations
 • The importance of confidentiality agreements and clear ownership terms
 • How to avoid disputes in collaborations with hospitals and universities
 • Why Freedom to Operate (FTO) searches are critical early on
 • How a strong patent portfolio supports funding, valuation and commercial strategy

This episode is ideal for med tech founders, startups, investors and innovators looking to protect their technology, attract funding, and avoid costly IP mistakes.

Figure 1: an IP conversation. Real insights. Real strategy. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe for more discussions on protecting innovation, creativity and business growth.

Want support with your IP strategy? Visit Albright IP: www.albrightip.co.uk

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In this episode of Figure 1: an IP conversation, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by Trade Mark Attorney and Associate Joel Weston, who specialises in resolving brand disputes, to walk through a real-life trade mark conflict and the practical steps involved in handling it.

After receiving a letter before action threatening opposition, a business is faced with a difficult decision: withdraw, defend, or negotiate. Using this scenario, the conversation unpacks how these disputes arise, what legal rights are in play, and how a strategic response can shape the outcome.

Trade marks don’t just exist on the register, they exist in the real world.
 And sometimes, prior use can be just as powerful as a registered right.

Through this example, the episode highlights how gaps in due diligence, broad specifications, and lack of professional advice can quickly lead to conflict, and how those situations can often be resolved without going the distance.

The episode covers:
• What a letter before action means and how to respond
• The key grounds for opposing a trade mark application
• How prior use can challenge an earlier registered right
• Why the UKIPO only considers registered marks, not marketplace use
• The difference between using a trade mark and owning one
• When withdrawing an application may (and may not) resolve the issue
• How coexistence agreements allow businesses to operate side by side
• Why most disputes settle, and what influences that decision
• The risks of filing a trade mark without professional advice

This episode is aimed at founders, SMEs, and brand owners who want to understand how trade mark disputes work in practice, and how to protect their brand while avoiding unnecessary cost and risk.

Figure 1: an IP conversation. Real scenarios. Real strategy. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe to Figure 1: an IP conversation for more discussions on protecting innovation, creativity and business growth.

Want help protecting your brand?
 Visit Albright IP: www.albright-ip.co.uk

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In this episode of Figure 1: an IP conversation, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by Freddie Noble, Patent Attorney, who heads our Cornwall office, to explore the role of registered designs in the wider IP landscape, and to ask a provocative question: can registered designs sometimes be more powerful than patents?

Patents protect how something works. Registered designs protect how it looks.

But in a competitive market, appearance can be just as commercially valuable as technical innovation.

Through practical examples and well-known cases, including the Trunki dispute and Apple’s design battle with Samsung, the conversation highlights how small decisions at the filing stage can have major consequences years later.

The episode covers:

•  What registered designs protect (and the limits around technical function)
 •  Why the images you file completely define your scope of protection
 •  Lessons from the Trunki case and what went wrong
 •  How to use multiple filings to strengthen and widen protection
 •  The 12-month grace period and when it can help
 •  When to file, and why timing matters if patents are involved
 •  How infringement is assessed and what “overall impression” really means
 •  The commercial value of designs compared with unregistered rights

This episode is aimed at founders, product designers, in-house teams and growing businesses that want to protect the visual identity of their products properly and avoid costly mistakes.

Figure 1: an IP conversation. Real stories. Real lessons. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe to Figure 1: an IP conversation for more discussions on protecting innovation, creativity and business growth.

Want help protecting the look and feel of your product?

Visit Albright IP: www.albright-ip.co.uk

Want to take part in our quiz just click the link: https://www.albright-ip.co.uk/wp_quiz/overall-impression-in-registered-designs/

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In this episode of Figure 1: an IP conversation, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by Trade Mark Attorney, James Beeton, to talk about the growing risks businesses face on social media and what can realistically be done about them.

Social platforms are now one of the most powerful tools for building a brand, but they’re also an easy entry point for counterfeiters, fake profiles and bad actors looking to exploit established names. 

For many SMEs, the challenge isn’t whether infringement is happening, but where to focus time, effort and budget.

Drawing on James’ experience in brand protection, including his time working in-house at Global brand, Superdry, the conversation covers:

• The most common forms of abuse, from fake accounts to misleading ads
• How counterfeiters and opportunists use hashtags, keywords and campaigns
• Why registered IP rights make content removal far more effective
• What businesses should monitor and what can usually be ignored
• The importance of evidence, internal processes and clear brand guidelines
• Practical steps SMEs can take to protect themselves without overreacting

This episode is aimed at founders, marketing teams and growing businesses that want to use social media confidently, without leaving their brand exposed.

Figure 1: an IP conversation. Real stories. Real lessons. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe to Figure 1: an IP conversation for more episodes on protecting innovation, creativity and business growth.

Want help capturing and protecting innovation?

Visit Albright IP: www.albright-ip.co.uk

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In this episode, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games is joined by Patent Attorney Will Doherty to explore one of the most overlooked parts of protecting innovation: invention capture.

Most businesses think patents start with filing; they don’t. They start much earlier, often before anyone realises there’s something worth protecting.

If you’re running an R&D team, developing products at pace, collaborating with partners, or building technical capability inside a growing business, this is essential listening.

Will explains:

• What invention capture actually is (and why it has nothing to do with filing patents)
• Why good ideas are so often forgotten, lost or disputed later
• How inventorship mistakes can create serious legal and ownership risks
• The hidden dangers of contractors, collaborators and university partnerships
• Why unintentional disclosure can kill patent rights overnight
• What a good invention disclosure should include (and what people always miss)
• How invention capture supports better patent strategy, not just more patents
• Why culture matters as much as process when it comes to innovation

This is a practical conversation about how innovation really happens inside businesses, and what you need in place to stop it's value slipping through the cracks.

Figure 1: an IP conversation. Real stories. Real lessons. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe to Figure 1: an IP conversation for more episodes on protecting innovation, creativity and business growth. 

Want help capturing and protecting innovation?

 Visit Albright IP: www.albright-ip.co.uk

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In this episode, Albright IP MD, Robert Games sits down with Trade Mark Attorney Katie Oliver to reveal the unseen risks that can derail a business before it even gets started.

Every founder thinks their brand is safe… until it isn’t.

If you’re naming a business, launching a product, expanding overseas, or building a brand you want people to remember, this is essential listening.

Katie reveals:

·        The number one mistake entrepreneurs make when choosing a name

·        Why using a brand before registering it can lead to a forced rebrand

·        The truth about company names (and why they offer zero real protection) 

·        How trade mark searches can save you thousands — and your reputation

·        What a word mark actually protects vs. a logo or slogan

·        The difference between ™ and ® and why it matters

·        How to think globally when protecting your brand

For anyone serious about building a brand with value, credibility and longevity, this conversation will change how you think about intellectual property.

Figure 1 – an IP conversation. Real stories. Real lessons. The protection your business needs.

Subscribe to Figure 1 – an IP conversation for more episodes on protecting innovation, creativity and business growth.

Want help protecting your brand?
Visit Albright IP: www.albright-ip.co.uk