The guide has been published as part of the "What is the Key?" campaign, launched by the Patent Office, The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents and the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys in June last year in an effort to encourage business owners to profit from their IP assets.
The booklet, titled "What is the Key? Your Guide to Intellectual Property", provides background on managing and exploiting intellectual assets. It also introduces business owners to simple IP audits, methods of monitoring and enforcing rights, research methods and handling IP at an international level.
"Business owners need to be aware that they own intellectual property and how best to use it," said Lawrence Smith-Higgins, Head of Marketing at the Patent Office. "Like all assets, IP is worth looking after and we hope that this publication will go some way to making the subject clearer. It's not just an issue for high-tech businesses but for all enterprises."