Wednesday 27 September 2017

IP and Food

Gary Townley














Jane Lambert

Tomorrow, between 10:00 and 13:30, Gary Townley, business and events manager at the Intellectual Property Office will talk about IP for the food and drink industry at Northampton Central Library. You can register for the event here.

I don't know what Gary will be talking about but there is a lot of IP connected with food and drink:

As I reported in Thought for Food 26 Sept 2017 NIPC London Gary has already spent the last two days at the Takeaway & Restaurant Innovation 2017 Expo.

IP in food production, preparation, marketing and distribution is a subject of which I do have had a lot of experience having been in some important cases and having advised and represented some rising stars in the industry. If you are involved in that sector I should be glad to talk to you. Call +44 (0)20 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.

Friday 1 September 2017

First Enterprise to manage Midlands Engine Small Business Loans in the East Midlands












Jane Lambert

On 29 Aug 2017, I reported the launch of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund and the publication of Spotlight: The Midlands Engine Investment FundOn Wednesday, fund managers for small business lending were appointed in the East and West Midlands. First Enterprise Business Agency was appointed for the East Midlands and BCRS Business Loans for the West.

A small business loan is one between £25,000 and £150,000.  Loans of between £100,000 and £1.5 million are available through the Midlands Engine Debt Finance Scheme which is managed by Maven Debt Finance.  Initial enquiries as to eligibility for a small business loan can be made through the enquiries form on the BCRS website.

As I said in my report on the launch of the fund:
"Anyone seeking any kind of funding under the MEIF or any other scheme will be expected to have planned, protected and leveraged its investment in branding, design, technology and creative output and that's where I come in. If you don't already have an IP strategy give me a call on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.

I can help you identify your intellectual assets and suggest the best ways of protecting them having regard to your business objectives and available resources. If you already have a patent or trade mark attorney, solicitor or other professional advisers I can work with them. If not, I can put you in touch with some of my contacts and help you choose and instruct the ones you like best. I can incidentally also put you in touch with many other professionals such as product design consultants and IP insurers and introduce you to your nearest Business and IP Centre or Patent Information Unit where you can get more advice and assistance either free of charge or at a very modest cost."
Further information on IP strategy can be obtained on my What is Intellectual Property Strategy? resource page and further information on the Midlands Engine on my Midlands Engine resource page.