Intellectual Property

Protecting, managing and commercialising the ideas, brands and creative assets that help your business stand out and grow.

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Intellectual property can be one of a business’s most valuable assets, covering everything from its brand and creative content to product designs, technology and commercial know-how. Putting appropriate protections and agreements in place can help businesses safeguard these assets, maintain their competitive position and create opportunities to generate further commercial value.

DTM Legal advises start-ups, growing businesses, established companies, founders and investors on a wide range of intellectual property matters. We can help you identify the intellectual property within your business, understand how it can be protected and put appropriate arrangements in place when those rights are created, used, licensed, transferred or commercialised. This is also essential to help avoid third-party claims and to ensure no problems arise with future buyers or investors.

Our Corporate & Commercial solicitors provide practical advice that considers intellectual property as part of your wider business strategy. Whether you are protecting a new brand, managing an existing portfolio of rights, licensing intellectual property to another business or dealing with IP as part of an investment or corporate transaction, we can help you protect your position and achieve your commercial objectives.

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Intellectual Property Legal Services

We advise businesses on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including:

  • Intellectual property audits and protection strategies
  • Trade mark applications and registrations
  • Trade mark portfolio management
  • Advice on registering and protecting designs
  • Copyright ownership and protection
  • Intellectual property licences
  • Assignments and transfers of intellectual property rights
  • Commercial exploitation and licensing of patents
  • Brand protection
  • Intellectual property provisions within commercial contracts
  • Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
  • Intellectual property ownership involving employees, consultants and third parties
  • IP issues arising from collaborations and joint ventures
  • Intellectual property due diligence in business sales, acquisitions and investments
  • Reviewing and documenting the ownership of intellectual property assets
  • Advice on the commercialisation and use of intellectual property
  • Support where intellectual property rights are challenged or disputes arise

Why Instruct DTM Legal?

Intellectual property should be considered in the context of how your business operates and where it plans to go next. Our Corporate & Commercial team takes the time to understand the assets that create value within your organisation before helping you identify the protections and commercial arrangements that may be appropriate.

We provide practical advice that considers both protecting your intellectual property and how it can be used to support wider commercial objectives. This may involve registering rights, clarifying ownership, negotiating licences or ensuring that valuable intellectual property is properly addressed within commercial and corporate transactions.

As your business develops, we can help review and adapt your intellectual property arrangements to reflect new products, markets, partnerships and opportunities. Where disputes or enforcement issues arise, we can also work alongside our Dispute Resolution solicitors to help protect your position.

We provide:

  • Practical and commercially focused intellectual property advice
  • Clear guidance on protecting and managing valuable business assets
  • Support with trade mark and design protection
  • Commercial advice on licensing and exploiting intellectual property
  • Agreements tailored to how your business creates and uses IP
  • Strategic advice during investments and corporate transactions
  • Ongoing support as your intellectual property portfolio develops

Get in Touch

Whether you are looking to protect a new brand, review your existing intellectual property arrangements or explore opportunities to commercialise your IP, our Corporate & Commercial Team can provide practical advice tailored to your business.

To speak to a member of the team, contact the Corporate & Commercial Team on 01244 354 800 / 0151 321 0000 or email corporate@dtmlegal.com.

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Head of Corporate & Commercial
DTM Legal
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Key Considerations When Protecting Your Intellectual Property

Understanding what intellectual property your business owns and how it is currently used can help your solicitor identify potential gaps in protection and recommend the most appropriate next steps. Read our Key Considerations guide to understand some of the points a solicitor may wish to discuss when responding to your enquiry. It can help you prepare the relevant information and make your initial conversation more productive.

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DTM Legal
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Corporate & Commercial Team

Edward Barnes

Head of Corporate & Commercial
Alison Brennan

Head of Compliance and Service Delivery
Phil Whitehurst

Partner / Corporate & Commercial
Beth Olumese

Legal Secretary, Trusts & Estates

Frequently Asked Questions

Commonly asked questions about intellectual property legal services.

The intellectual property that matters most will depend on your business. It may include your company or product brands, logos, designs, written and digital content, software, inventions, databases or confidential commercial know-how.

An intellectual property review can help identify the assets that create value within your organisation and determine whether your current legal and contractual arrangements provide appropriate protection.

 

It is sensible to consider trade mark protection when developing an important business, product or service brand, particularly before making a significant investment in marketing or expansion.

Before applying, businesses should consider what elements of the brand need protection, the goods and services for which it will be used and any future plans that may affect the scope of the application.

Copyright protection in the UK generally arises automatically for qualifying original works, rather than through a formal government registration process.

However, businesses should still consider who owns the copyright in important materials and ensure that appropriate agreements are in place when work is created by employees, consultants, agencies or other third parties.

 

Yes. Intellectual property can form the subject of commercial licensing and transfer arrangements. A licence may allow another party to use particular rights while ownership is retained, while an assignment can transfer ownership of the relevant intellectual property.

The agreement should clearly define the rights involved, how they can be used, any geographical or commercial restrictions and the payments or royalties that will apply.

Intellectual property can represent a significant part of the value of a business, particularly where its brand, technology, content or proprietary processes are central to its operations.

During an investment or business sale, potential investors or buyers may want to confirm what intellectual property the business owns, whether ownership is properly documented and whether important rights are adequately protected. Reviewing these arrangements in advance can help identify and address potential issues before due diligence begins.

What our Clients Say

See what our customers have to say about their experience

Review Solicitors Stars
5/5 350+Reviews
Jason Edwards
21/05/2026
We have been a long-standing customer of DTM for many years and would highly recommend. Friendly, professional and great to deal with.
Mark Brooks Lewis
21/05/2026
Alison Brennan is the single most helpful lawyer I have worked with in my professional career. Despite how busy she is, Alison always finds time (and patience) to help our team. She was a critical support agent in our early journey and one of the reasons behind our success. I would not hesitate to recommend her and the wider DTM team.
Evie
31/10/2023
DTM Legal’s team has our complete confidence in carrying out work promptly and efficiently. Their commitment to achieving the highest standards is evident in everything they do.

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