Although modest in size, Aberdeen has long been a hotbed of innovation. The MRI scanner, self-seal envelope and even water polo – apparently first played in the freezing Dee – all originated in the city.
That flow of new ideas has probably increased several-fold since the arrival of the oil&gas industry, and Offshore Europe is always a good place to hunt out successful new intellectual property.
But how can our inventors protect their boundary-breaking ideas and make sure the profits aren’t taken from under their noses?
Patents, of course, offer the ideal answer, providing the means for thousands of inventors to safeguard their hard work every year – assuming they can afford to pay for such protection.
About 25,000 patents are filed in the UK annually, a fifth of which originate in Scotland. A patent essentially grants the right to stop competitors from copying your innovations for a limited period – up to 20 years – within each country you register in.
In order to be granted a patent, your invention must be new and have an “inventive step” – something that makes it unique.
About one-third of applications for patents actually make it through to being granted.
One Aberdeen company where the creative juices flow strongly is Westhill-based Red Spider Technologies, where protecting innovation is crucial to the success of that business.
Bright ideas sit at the heart of this company, which broke the £1million-a-month turnover mark for the first time in March this year.
Engineering director Mike Reid says the only way to guarantee protection for inventions is to patent them.
“A lot of our focus is on developing new, more cost-effective ways of solving problems,” he says.
“Our success comes from the fact that the equipment we manufacture is brand new and does new things in unique ways.
“We’re a small business, but our team has big ideas, so each initiative we decide to put our money towards is a serious investment, especially since so many of our products are aimed at niche markets. The only reason we can compete with the bigger companies is that those ideas are protected by intellectual property laws.”
Despite being a corporate youngster, Red Spider has already filed for patents on 12 products, including one of its most successful devices, known as eRED (Electronic Remote Equalisation Device).
Taken up by a host of upstream players, Reid says eRED has saved clients money while boosting Red Spider’s turnover. Patenting the device means this stream of revenue will be protected for years to come.
“Having a patent is the most important step in the creation of any product because it guarantees future profits won’t be affected by competitors simply copying the technologies we’ve invested so much time and money in,” says Reid.
“It’s like taking out an insurance policy on your creation.
“Employing a competent patent attorney is absolutely vital. But making a patent application can be a long, complicated and expensive process, so having an experienced attorney to guide you through the process will clear the path to getting your patent granted.”
With 1,750 patent attorneys registered in the UK, the support is there for businesses – and a fair few reside in Aberdeen.
Reid adds: “Once you have a patent, you then have to police it – nobody else will do it for you. You should get professional advice on how to go about this from your patent attorney.”
And the cost? It’s not small beer, but commonsense should tell you that there is no realistic alternative.
According to Reid, Red Spider currently spends nearly £150,000 on submitting and maintaining patents each year.
“Patents should be at the core of any innovative business’s measures to protect its intellectual property. Although it might seem an added expense, it’s far better to act now to protect your investments than face a big loss in the future.”