By NI Intellectual Property Association

Today’s competitive environment has made it increasingly difficult and important to stay ahead of the competition by adapting a coherent approach to Intellectual Property and the exploitation of the advantages IP can provide them with.  In order to exploit this in the company's favour, it is essential that the basics of IP is known and identified. The workshop will help to demystify any common concerns with IP and give a broad understanding of the topic.

The workshop will be led by Mark Earnshaw, Director of Patents, Murgitroyd & Co and Alan Wallace, Partner, FR Kelly & Co, experts in the field of IP including Patenting and copyright.

Date:                Thursday 24^th March 2011

Time:               08.00AM – 8.30AM Registration

                        08.30AM – 09.30AM Programme

                        09.30AM – 10.00AM Q&A

Cost:                Free of charge

Contact:           Meagan Blanton

                       Programme Manager, NISP CONNECT

                       Northern Ireland Science Park

                       Tel: +44 (0) 28 9073 7806, Email: nispconnect@nisp.co.uk

Note:               Breakfast will be provided for participants

                       Parking: http://www.nisp.co.uk/Car-Parking-.aspx 

Who should attend?

Entrepreneur workshops are a series of professional development programmes schedulked throughout the year. Attendees are generallt founders, CEOs and managers involved in strategic business growth as well as scientists or technoloy experts considering a business start-up.

About the Speakers

Mark Earnshaw

Mark is a UK, Irish and European Patent and Trade Mark attorney based in Belfast.  He has twenty years experience in all aspects of Intellectual Property, and has worked with many local individuals and SMEs, as well as universities and multi-international companies.  Well known local clients include The Queen's University of Belfast and Wrightbus.

As well as filing and prosecuting UK and overseas patent applications, Mark also advises clients on the commercial use of their Intellectual Property, and IP portfolio licensing and management.

Alan Wallace

Alan is a European Patent Attorney, and Community Trade Mark Attorney.  He joined F. R. Kelly & Co in 1995 and became a partner in 2006.

Based in Belfast, he handles a wide range of patent, design, copyright and trade mark matters for local and international clients. 

Alan’s areas of technical expertise include mechanical, electrical, electronic and software-related fields. In addition to drafting and prosecuting patent applications, he provides clients with services relating to patent searching, patentability, patent infringement, licensing, confidentiality, trade marks, copyright and designs.  He also provides advice on strategies for protecting IP and on setting up in-house IP procedures, as well as dealing with any other IP queries that may arise

About NISP's Frameworks Entrepreneur Workshops

NISP offers ongoing educational opportunities for entrepreneurs building and growing innovative hitech, biotech or cleantech companies and offers member companies the opportunity to provide expert content to a responsive, interactive audience.

Many of today’s business founders and future entrepreneurs have scientific and technical backgrounds but have had limited experience in industry, so they often lack exposure to critical information which is essential to leading a start-up. To fill this gap, NISP offers Frameworks Entrepreneur Workshops to provide these bright leaders with the vocabulary, foundations and framework around which they can build awareness of the many disciplines they will oversee as “C” level managers”