Ask About Business

Are you an inventor or an innovator?

Is your copyright giving you cause for concern?

Ask About Business can help.

New ideas for products or services are in great demand. As well as knowing how to develop your idea, you will need to know how to protect it.  There are different ways to do this, depending on what it is.

This can be done by having:

• A Patent
• A Trade Mark
• A Registered Design

This is a complicated area and it is important to look for advice early.

You can find lots of information at the Inventors Information Point website.

Information for inventors is available at Manchester's City Library and Blackburn Central Library, offering dedicated computer access to search databases and useful links, helpful leaflets and information on patents and business start up plus a large collection of books on business, finance and technology.

Patent Clinics

You can also book an appointment at a Patent Clinic to speak to a patent attorney and a business adviser for free, confidential advice on patents, trade marks, designs, copyright, business start up and funding. You can discuss your idea in confidence for 30 minutes with each adviser at no charge. Patent Clinics are currently available at Manchester City Library.

To book:

For Manchester please telephone 0161 234 1397 to book an appointment or e-mail

The advice given cannot be exhaustive and therefore no responsibility can be taken for anything done or not done as a result of the consultation.