Copyright, trademark and patent advice

Ask Us: Business and Patent Library Centre (PatLib)

Patent Library Centre (PatLib) – Enquiry Service providing guidance and information on protecting your intellectual property.

Gloucestershire Libraries collaborate with the UK’s PatLib network which is a growing network of regional patent information centres supported by the Intellectual Property Office. The centre is currently based at Gloucester Library, covering Gloucestershire and beyond.

We provide local access to patent, trade mark, designs and copyright information, to help businesses and individuals understand the different types of legal protection and how to apply to protect their intellectual property (IP) assets.

What we offer

• An IP enquiry and signposting service via email/telephone. 
• Assistance with searching databases for Patents, Trademarks and Designs.
• Free access to Espacenet, Designview and associated IP databases via Library PC’s. Please note, PC's need to booked in advance. More information can be found here

If you would like to find out more, please email patlibgloucester@gloucestershire.gov.uk, call 01452 426977 or complete our ask us business enquiry form.

Our office hours are currently Monday to Friday 10am till 4pm.

Free 1:1 intellectual property advice

We are working closely with a local IP firm in order to run virtual intellectual property advice clinics every last Thursday of the month. 

Take advantage of free advice for up to 30 minutes from a UK Chartered Patent & Trademark Attorney.

Book now at gloslibraries.uk/IP-Session-Enquiry

Why is intellectual property so important for inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses?

Most businesses have some form of intellectual property, yet few have protected these valuable intangible assets or understand their financial value. Protecting your business with a robust Intellectual Property (IP) strategy from the outset, allows you to take legal action in the event of unauthorised use of your IP. It also allows you to exploit commercial opportunities such as licensing your goods or services out to third parties, as well as helping you to maintain your competitiveness in the market. A good IP strategy can also help you to attract investment in your business. 

There are four different IP rights including:

• Patents which protect new inventions. If you want to find out if something similar to your invention already exists and has been patented you can do this by searching Espacenet which is operated by the EPO (European Patent Office). 
• Trademarks which protect brands. If you want to find out whether a similar trademark already exists, you must check if anyone has already registered an identical or similar trademark for the same or similar goods or services by searching the trademark database here.
• Designs which protect the visual appearance of a product. If you want to find out if a similar design already exists, you must check if anyone has already registered an identical or similar design by searching DesignView. 
• Copyright which protects literature, artistic works, software, photographs, music, films etc. Copyright is an automatic right in the UK which begins as soon as a work is fixed in tangible form. Therefore, as you get copyright protection automatically there is no official registration system for copyright works in the UK, so you do not need to apply or pay any fees.