Intellectual property violations are a growing headache for SMEs

A quarter of the businesses surveyed by the FSB have suffered as a result of copyright violation or other wrongdoing during the last five years.

With almost one in three small businesses who own some form of intellectual property rights reliant on it for 75 to 100 per cent of their revenue, infringements can be incredibly damaging.

Now the FSB has called for more to be done to advise firms of their rights.

John Allan, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Proper protection of intellectual property is a mainstream issue which deserves a mainstream focus.

“Left unchecked, theft and infringement of ideas, patents and brand costs small businesses and diminishes their appetite to invest in their business, ultimately hampering the UK's long-term economic growth.”

The most common forms of intellectual property violations reported are copying of a product (50 per cent), use of copyrighted work on a website (34 per cent), use of copyrighted work in a service or product for sale (33 per cent) and use of a trademark (31 per cent).

At Royds, our experts can provide comprehensive advice on all aspects of intellectual property law affecting businesses. For more information please visit or contact Stephen Welfare or John North.