Free advice on intellectual property, copyright, patents & licensing

Own-it goes North - click here to get Own-it services in the North & North West of England

Own-it helps even more businesses with Own-it North

Own-it North is a new project that provides intellectual property support and guidance to creative businesses in the North and North West of England.

If you are a creative business in the North or North West of England and need advice on how to protect, manage and make money from your intellectual property then please click here and we will help you grow your business.

Own-it North is a three month pilot project and has been set up to test demand and use of Own-it services in the area that will help inform future business support and services in the region.

Own-it North is funded by The North West Development Agency and is a partnership project between The Northern Edge group of universities, Salford University, Skillset NW, University of the Arts London and The London Development Agency.

Own-it North is an example of partnership, innovation and best practice in the public sector.

Welcome to Own-it: Your Free Intellectual Property Resource

Own-it offers free intellectual property advice for creative businesses.

Within your business or your practice, you've probably created a wealth of in-house ideas, designs, music, writing, images – in short, 'intellectual property' - which can make you extra money, as long as you give it the proper legal protection. Own-it will show you how.

Own-it provides:

free legal contract templates, articles, podcasts and factsheets available for download
free legal advice and a detailed FAQ section
events to enable creative people to make the most of their ideas
a directory of useful resources and contacts across creative sectors.

Own-it is a partnership between London Development Agency and London College of Communication, University of The Arts London.

Latest intellectual property news

Scottish family in battle for Narnia domain | 30 Jun 2008
In the headlines this week: the Naked Cowboy heads for court, BT warns illegal file-sharers and a Narnia domain name row.

TV doctor prescribed three month "rest" for copyright infringement | 23 Jun 2008
In this week's IP news: the great patent backlog, Associated Press threatens copyright action against political blogger and TV's Dr Raj Persaud loses license for copyright infringement.

ECJ bursts O2's bubbles | 16 Jun 2008
In the news this week: 3 wins ECJ trade mark decision and photographers fight for their rights.

Forthcoming Own-it events

Making Money From Ideas - A Guide to Intellectual Property Rights for Creative People

Date: Friday 4 July 2008

The event is organised by Own-it in co-operation with Shape. We particularly invite disabled and deaf creatives to attend.

Making money from ideas and protecting ideas from being ripped off by other people is a major concern for artists, designer makers, film makers and any other creative professional. Whenever you talk about your work, exhibit or pitch for commissions you need to protect your ideas and make sure you know what to do if someone does actually copy or makes money from work that is rightfully yours. But apart from protecting your ideas, it is important to know about the value of your ideas and how to exploit your intellectual property.

See more details...

New on Own-it...

Following on from the amazing success of our "How Not to Get Ripped Off" DVD, we're now offering all Own-it members the chance to watch our basic guide to copyrights, trade marks, design rights and patents online for free!

The online video features a presentation of how to protect your work and 3 case studies from the worlds of product design, jewellery and photography who describe their experiences. There's also a series of Q&A from Own-it members.

Watch "How Not to Get Ripped Off" now!