12 July 2010
I was asked by a business support agency to advise a young fashion designer that it was assisting. The designer had already incorporated her company, registered her trade mark and found a manufacturer for her designs. Her project was to design a collection of clothes for men and women and have them manufactured abroad for the British and other markets. I spoke to her by telephone and arranged for a conference in Huddersfield.
I advised her how the law protects brands and fashion goods in Europe. I explained in particular registered design and Community design law. I was able to refer her to an article that the WIPO had published entitled “IP in the Fashion Industry” in the May/June 2005 Issue of the WIPO magazine. As she did not appear to have consulted a patent agent, I showed her how to search the CIPA directory and register and gave her the names and addresses of all the firms practising in her area. I emphasized the need to consider enforcement. I told her about insurance and other the funding options and referred her to the research on the IP Wales website and the insurers sponsoring Make Sparks Fly.
Her immediate needs were a manufacturing agreement with her supplier, standard terms of business and various other contracts which I settled for her.
NIPC Law 