The Cornish pasty and Cornish clotted cream are protected names, which only producers in Cornwall following the registered specification may use. Anyone starting a food or drink business in the county learns quickly that the word "Cornish" is both their most valuable marketing asset and their hardest to protect, because a geographical description cannot simply be registered as a trade mark by one producer. Intellectual property solicitors in Truro spend a surprising amount of time on this problem, advising breweries, gin distillers, ice-cream makers and bakeries on names, logos and packaging that can be registered and defended.
Cornwall's other intellectual property is more varied than visitors expect. Falmouth University sends out designers, illustrators, photographers and game developers every year, many of whom stay and need to understand who owns the work they create for clients. Surf and outdoor brands around Newquay live on their trade marks and their designs. Marine and space technology companies at Falmouth, Goonhilly and Newquay need patents, confidentiality agreements and licences before they talk to investors, and the county's writers, musicians and artists rely on copyright, which arises automatically but still has to be proved and enforced.
A Truro IP solicitor registers trade marks and designs at the UK Intellectual Property Office, drafts licences, assignments and non-disclosure agreements, and writes the letter before action when someone copies a product or a name. Most disputes end there. Those that do not can be taken to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, whose capped costs and damages limit of £500,000 keep small claims affordable even from the far end of the country. For patents, solicitors usually work alongside a patent attorney.
Registrations and standard agreements are generally priced as fixed fees; disputes are charged by the hour.
Below are the firms offering intellectual property advice around Truro, verified firms first. Read what intellectual property law covers, the general guide to IP solicitors, and for company matters the business law solicitors in Truro page.
