Intellectual Property Insights

Written by Founder CEO of Metis Partners, Stephen Robertson. My mission at Metis has always been to put the spotlight on IP assets in business, as I believe most business owners don’t fully recognize the value of their IP, until perhaps an M&A buyer starts talking about exit multiples.  I strive to build trust in IP valuations and I believe ...

Placing a tangible financial value on a brand and then leveraging that value remains a frustratingly opaque process. However, the creation of secondary markets to sell IP assets has encouraged lenders to look more closely at this asset class. The power and value of a brand are rarely contested; in fact, brands are often considered to be a business’s most valuable ...

The IP sessions key takeaways One of the most requested IP insight topics from our IP-rich IP100 entrants is IP strategy.  In particular how to create and manage an IP strategy to (a) increase the valuation of their business and (b) better communicate that IP strategy internally to colleagues, to help them improve business performance and externally communicate to investors ...

David and Goliath of Alt-Protein: Incredible Foods vs Motif Foodworks The ongoing “beef” between two prominent players in the alternative protein industry, Incredible Foods (Incredible) and Motif Foodworks (Motif), has placed the spotlight on the importance of having patents in the field of plant-based meats and the likelihood of further patent infringement action in this growing industry. In March 2022, ...

How copyright infringement affects tattoos Tattoo arts have become the centre of complex copyright scenarios and as body art grows in popularity, the number of copyright disputes over tattoos is also rising. Copyright is an intellectual property (IP) right which underpins many different types of IP assets, all united in giving the author of the work certain rights to protect ...

Was Sheeran “shaping” up for IP litigation? Having categorically denied plagiarising aspects of other artists work for years, Ed Sheeran has recently been acquitted of plagiarising the chorus of Sami Chokri’s song “Oh Why” in his song “Shape of you.” Chokri explained that he first become aware of the potential similarities after hearing Sheeran’s “Shape of You” on the radio back ...

As NFTs merely represent a unique copy of the asset there is also the inevitable threat of the misuse of intellectual property rights. Nike, Hermès and the English Premier League (‘EPL’) have something in common – they have all recently been involved in legal battles related to non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. If you’re not yet familiar with NFTs, they are ...

What’s being considered Continuing our theme on finance, football, brands and sponsorship, a topic we’ve been discussing at Metis, is a change on its way, likely to ban gambling companies from sponsoring the football kit of teams playing in the most-watched league in the world, the English Premiership. The UK Government are rumored to be closing a regulatory loophole to ...

My how things have changed The 2021 summer transfer window was eventful, to say the least – Lionel Messi departed his beloved boyhood club Barcelona following a period of financial turmoil at the club, joining Paris Saint Germain for a jaw-dropping £20m signing-on fee and a further £400k per week in wages. If that signing wasn’t enough to make your ...