Investment in Cleantech - IP Strategy & Protection for In-House Lawyers

Introduction

Investors at all stages (seed/angel investment through to Series B/C) are paying more attention to the intellectual property (‘IP’) portfolio of companies in all areas of commerce, particularly as the era of remote working and shared workspaces have led to companies with very little by way of physical assets (offices, hardware) and therefore the IP of a company often stands as its biggest asset, alongside the personnel.

Consequently, due diligence is increasingly focussed on the IP strategy and portfolio of a business, particularly in a technology-rich area such as cleantech.

Investors are looking to determine the scope of monopoly that businesses hold prior to investment.

IP strategy and building a robust and well-planned portfolio is therefore more important than ever.

Understanding how trade secrets are captured and protected, developing a patent portfolio with relevant and useful patent claims and understanding how other IP such as trade marks, designs and copyright can be protected and used to create a mosaic of protection will put your business in a stronger position than its competitors.

This webinar will also cover some of the risks associated with ‘greenwashing’ which is particularly relevant in the cleantech space.

The webinar will be focussed on practical advice for in-house counsel and updating you on some recent greenwashing considerations, as well as how trade secrets and unitary patents are being used by innovative companies to help you avoid missing out on opportunities due to gaps in your IP strategy.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Why an IP strategy is fundamental for your business and how to prepare one
• The importance of territories with IP protection and how to select them carefully
• Key information about the unitary patent and the Unified Patent Court and how to use this to your advantage
• Understanding what freedom to operate (‘FTO’) really means and how to apply it
• Decision making and innovation capture strategies to take advantage of trade secrets, patents and other rights
• How to record, manage and store information relating to your IP, particularly non-registered rights (particularly with a view to obtaining investment!)
• Brief updates in relation to ‘greenwashing’ in Europe and the importance of evidence-based claims in marketing
• Where IP audits and monitoring (including innovation capture) can streamline and support your portfolio

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Friday 24th January 2025

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 1,700+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email [email protected] for more details.