Celebrating World IP Day
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We are celebrating World Intellectual Property Day with our clients who are working towards a greener future.
World Intellectual Property Day takes place on Sunday, April 26th and the focus this year is on creating a green future through innovation. At Forresters we have many clients who are focussed on green innovation and sustainable technology.
One company that we managed to secure a number of patents for is Carbon Clean Solutions Limited (CCSL). The company works with owners of industrial emissions plants to reduce carbon emissions through carbon capture technology. Their aim is to see net zero carbon emissions from various emission sources including steel, cement refinery and waste incineration plants.
The patents that Forresters has secured cover for include CSSL’s advanced solvents, and methods of using their solvents. This allows the company to bring their ground-breaking carbon capture technology to more markets. The protection of CCSL’s IP is essential to ensure the continued success and growth of their business.
CCSL has managed to secure funding from various sources (including the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the US Department of Energy) and has formed a partnership with non-profit research, development, and training Gas Technology Institute (GTI) to develop their technology at the US National Carbon Capture Center.
Prateek Bumb, CTO of CCSL said: “I see carbon capture technology as a key enabler in the transition to a ‘net zero’ carbon energy future, and solid intellectual property protection is essential to achieving these goals. I am pleased to work with Forresters’ professional team and have always found them very helpful and knowledgeable in all intellectual processes for Carbon Clean Solutions Limited.”
With the focus on plastic waste increasing, another of our clients – Bell Packaging – has come up with a solution that is made with 100% recycled content. Forresters is proud to have secured the trade mark for “Retran”.
Retran®100 beats the new packaging tax that was announced in the March 2020 budget for all plastic materials with a recycled content less than 30% and has been approved by the European Food Standard Agency for direct contact with food.
This new product contains 100% recycled polymer, which comes from home waste such as plastic rubbish that has been thrown out. This rubbish is collected, sorted, cleaned and then turned back into plastic sheet that can be used again. Bell Packaging is currently testing the Retran®100 product with some of its key clients and it then hopes to roll out the environmentally friendly packaging to the rest of its customers. At the moment the company is working hard to provide eye protectors and face visors for NHS workers, to help protect against COVID-19.
Bell Packaging director Peter Lennie, commented: “Our response to COVID-19 came after discussions with local doctors and consultants about the shortage of PPE supplies, and we wanted to help. Until now most of this equipment has been made and supplied by China but there is now a massive shortfall and we need to correct this quickly by making PPE products in the UK”.
“We have worked with Forresters for more than 30 years and they take care of any registrations in respect of unique names and any new products we can patent. They always do a thorough search and deal with the filing and renewing of any patents. They are very good at what they do, and their work has meant that our products are used worldwide with the necessary protection from unscrupulous copies.”
Forresters also works with Atlantic Lionshare Ltd, which is helping to reduce the damage that lionfish are currently inflicting on the marine environment. Lionfish were introduced by humans to the Atlantic Ocean, and they could possibly wipe out entire ecosystems, as they have a broad diet and each female spawns twice a week.
We have helped Atlantic Lionshare to work towards a patent for “The Reef Sweeper”, which is a remotely operated underwater vehicle. The Reef Sweeper can extract lionfish from their habitat, quickly and effectively, without causing any damage to other species or the surrounding environment.
Elizabeth Martin from Atlantic Lionshare explained that their aim is not just to cull the Lionfish, but have their nutritious meat become part of a regular seafood diet. Elizabeth added: “Forresters has been a pleasure to work with in obtaining our global patents and trade marks. Our technology will continuously evolve and we look forward to our long term relationship with Forresters’ talented team.”
Forresters has also worked with Miténgo Coffee founder Dr Henry Sidsaph to help him secure the trade marks for his business.
Henry, who last year won a business award sponsored by Forresters, started his business after he went on a volunteer visit to Malawi in 2011 and heard about the large levels of deforestation. Through sales of Miténgo Coffee, he helps support the charity Ripple Africa in planting trees, and conserving forest areas.
The company’s supply chain starts with farmers who receive a fair price for their labour, which is well above the cost of production. “My message is about bringing people and nature together, we do this through great-tasting coffee, tree planting, conservation and education,” said Henry. “Forresters helped me secure the trade mark for Miténgo Coffee, which gave me a lot of credibility when I was pitching to different businesses”.
“I am so grateful for the help Forresters gave me, they offered me support every step of the way and there were regular follow ups so they could see how the business was progressing.”
Partner Matt Shaw expressed how delighted the firm is to support World Intellectual Property Day, which this year is being promoted as a virtual campaign.
“This year World Intellectual Property Day looks at how innovation, and the IP rights that support it, are helping us towards a greener future,” he said. “We have seen recently how engineers, inventors, designers and academics are able to devise solutions to complex challenges that affect the world. At Forresters we are proud to support these creative and innovative industries that are working towards a safe, sustainable and greener future.”
