Many SMEs understand the value of patents, and routinely file patent applications to protect their innovation. However, UK innovators are lagging behind those in many other countries when it comes to patent ownership.
Japan is, unsurprisingly, one of the leading patent filers of the world, but UK innovators are also lagging behind their European counterparts in, for example, France and Germany.
BUT, Why don’t UK Innovators file enough patents?
Cost may be one factor, but I think the main factor is a lack of understanding of the value patents can bring to a company.
Being the first to market is rarely enough to secure your commercial position, and without patent protection, it can be an expensive gamble, as you will have no legal rights if someone copies you. And if you have a patent and nobody copies you, it could be that your patent has been working for you behind the scenes by deterring potential competitors…the scrupulous ones, anyway.
The UK Intellectual Property Office has recognised the issue and is looking at ways of encouraging more patent filings from UK innovators, but the UKIPO can’t change the national mindset on its own. We intellectual property specialists can do our bit by creating content to help inform UK innovators about patents, and what they could do for their business, without blinding them with jargon. And if all stakeholders in UK R&D and investment do their bit too, together, we could change the face of UK innovation for generations to come.