The benefits of successful brand protection

All businesses develop a substantial association between the company’s brand and the products or services it provides the consumer. Previously we have explained the process of registering a trademark in order to protect your brand and in this article we will focus on the benefits of successful brand protection.

Branding for your business should be carefully considered at an early stage and treated equally alongside the goals of the business. Creating a strong brand will enhance the growth of your business because your branding helps your clients or customers associate a reputation with your products or services. To ensure your developing brand and your businesses reputation is protected you should register your brand as a trademark.

13 leaseholder rights

If you own or plan on owning a leasehold property it is important that you understand the legal nature of this type of property ownership.

The ownership of a leasehold property is very different to owning the freehold, as our article ‘The difference between leasehold & freehold’ explains in detail. This article will focus on your rights as a leaseholder, which should be outlined in your leasehold contract with the landlord. 

One of your simplest rights is that you will have the right to peaceful occupation of the property for the duration of the lease, called ‘quiet enjoyment’. Contractually, you also have the right to expect the freeholder to maintain, repair and manage any shared parts of the building. Shared areas are parts of the property that you do not own as part of your lease but have the right to access. Shared parts of the building are likely to include the exterior of the property, the entrance hall and staircases. There are many other rights that the leaseholder has and should be aware of.

4 great tips on how to register a trademark

Your brand could be the most important aspect to your business’s ongoing development and not registering a trademark to protect your brand from exploitation could be a big risk. Correctly securing a trademark will not only add value to your business and brand but will also allow your company to stand apart from your competitors.

A common misconception is that registering your businesses name with Companies House or owning the website address is sufficient, but these provide no form of trademark protection whatsoever. The only way to correctly protect your brand is to apply for a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office. However, before you apply for a trademark you should check that the name you want to protect can be registered with Companies House and that the internet domain name is available.

Top tips for new business investors

Investing in a business is a great way to increase the return on your savings but it is also risky and without the correct preparation you could lose all of the investment. You should also pay particular attention to how you can invest in businesses as there are many options and variables that could affect your decisions. If you are interested in business investing, the following tips should hopefully help you make decisive decisions.

Don’t gamble
It is vital that you research the business you are interested in to evaluate how successful the business is likely to be and whatever you do, do not make snap decisions. There are several aspects of a business that you should look into. The first should be the size of the market for the product or service the company is offering. You need to ensure that the market is big enough for the company to grow sufficiently to see a return on your investment. Your next challenge is to appraise the managers of the business to ensure the company has the right people to drive the business forward.