Intellectual property protection overseas

Introduction

Intellectual property (IP) rights are territorial, which means that if you have registered protection in the UK, it only applies within the UK.

If you trade in a product or service and want to stop other people exploiting your ideas, you should consider applying for IP protection overseas as well as in the UK.

Business takes place globally and, increasingly, even small businesses are operating beyond national boundaries. The internet is accelerating this trend.

This guide helps you decide whether you need to consider IP protection in other countries. It outlines the different forms that are available and explains where to go for further help and advice.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Do I need protection overseas?
• Register your trade mark overseas
• Applying for a patent in other countries
• Copyright protection overseas
• Design protection overseas
• Here's how I protected my intellectual property rights overseas

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