MedTech & IP Strategy: How to Protect Innovation and Avoid Costly Mistakes

MedTech & IP Strategy: How to Protect Innovation and Avoid Costly Mistakes

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2562847/fan_mail/new] 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 [http://www.albrightip.co.uk]

What Happens If Someone Challenges Your Trade Mark?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2562847/fan_mail/new] 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 [http://www.albright-ip.co.uk]

Registered Designs vs Patents: What’s Actually More Powerful?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2562847/fan_mail/new] 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 [http://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/ [https://www.albright-ip.co.uk/wp_quiz/overall-impression-in-registered-designs/]

The dark side of social media no one warns business owners about

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2562847/fan_mail/new] 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 [http://www.albright-ip.co.uk]

Innovation is easy. Keeping hold of it isn’t.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2562847/fan_mail/new] 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 [http://www.albright-ip.co.uk]