Using your intellectual property rights: steps to consider
Published 3 March 2026
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This guidance outlines steps you can consider after you have created or registered intellectual property.
Some decisions, such as sharing, licensing or selling intellectual property, can have long term consequences. Before taking action, you should make sure you own the intellectual property or have the right to use it.
1. Use your intellectual property
You can use your intellectual property (IP) to build reputation and add value to products, for example, adding your trade mark to your products. This will help your products be recognised and build trust to enhance the value of your brand.
IP can increase your company’s valuation and can make your business more attractive to investors and partners. This can be a good way to encourage innovation with another business and share development costs.
Watch a short video about building up a brand (less than 3 minutes)
You should get advice about growing your brand. A lot of free advice is available and could save you time and money.
Get intellectual property advice
2. Expand your intellectual property overseas
Intellectual property (IP) rights are territorial. They only give protection in the countries where they are granted or registered. If you only have UK protection, others may be allowed to use your IP abroad without infringing your rights.
Protecting your trade marks, patents, designs and copyright abroad
The intellectual property office has a range of liaison officers, known as attachés, across the world who can help you protect and manage your IP overseas.
Get help from overseas intellectual property advisors
3. License your intellectual property
A licence is an agreement between you as the IP right owner and another party. Licensing can reduce costs, save time and access expertise you may not have in-house, potentially broadening your reach and selling in territories you weren’t able to cover.
Licensing allows you to keep ownership of your intellectual property while giving others permission to use it.
Watch a short video about licensing or franchising intellectual property (1 minute)
4. Sell your intellectual property
You can transfer ownership of your intellectual property for a fee. Valuing your intellectual property can be challenging. Unless your IP assets help to create, maintain or increase cash flow they may have limited financial value.
Valuing your intellectual property
Watch a short video about valuing your intellectual property (1 minute)
5. Monitor new intellectual property applications from others
Trade marks
We will contact you if we believe a new trade mark application is similar to yours. However, you should also be aware of how you can monitor new trade mark applications and how to object to them.
Objecting to other people’s trade marks
Patents
You can monitor new patent applications and can make observations if you think the patent shouldn’t be granted. For example, if you believe the patent application relates to an invention which is not new.
Observations about patentability
Designs
You can monitor when new designs have been registered and object and challenge them if you think they should not be registered.
Objecting to other people’s designs
6. Defend your intellectual property
It’s your responsibility to defend your intellectual property and to take action if someone’s used it without permission. You can ask them to stop using your IP, come to an agreement or take legal action if needed.
Defend your intellectual property
Watch a short video about defending your intellectual property (less than 2 minutes)
7. Renew your intellectual property
If you do not renew on time, your protection may end.
Trade marks
Trade marks must be renewed every 10 years.
Patents
Patents must be renewed every year after the fourth anniversary of when you filed for it. They can be renewed up to a maximum of 20 years.
Designs
You must renew your design registration on its fifth anniversary. You’ll then need to renew every 5 years up to a maximum of 25 years.
If you are considering applying for intellectual property, you can view our Get IP: step-by-step guide.