All potential new clients are offered a free, no-obligation consultation at our office in Southport to assess their ideas and to advise on how best to obtain, maintain and enforce their IP rights. In situations where it is more practical or appropriate to meet on-site, we may come to your business premises.
Because we are a firm of patent and design attorneys, any discussions with us regarding your ideas are deemed to be “in confidence” and do not, therefore, prejudice your rights to obtain intellectual property protection. We will provide general advice and will highlight any obvious potential issues during the initial consultation. We will help you to identify the main aspects of your ideas that could benefit from Intellectual Property protection, and may propose an outline IP strategy for you to consider.
We will also provide you with information, where appropriate, on Intellectual Property in general and resources that you can consider using. However, if you require specific advice, for example, advice relating to an already-pending patent application, or potential litigation that has already begun, then you would either need to become a client of Hutchinson IP, or make use of our ad hoc services, before we could advise you in detail.
To get the most out of the initial consultation, it is recommended that you let us have as much information as possible regarding your particular situation. Useful information may include technical descriptions, details of your competitor’s products, details of any searches you have carried out, CAD drawings, mock-ups and product samples, where appropriate. Whilst we understand that it is not always possible, it is often best if you to let us have this information in advance of the meeting, either via post or e-mail.
The initial consultation is free. There will be no charge for an initial, 30-minute meeting, nor will a nominal charge for the consultation be added to a subsequent bill should you decide to proceed. If we propose to undertake any fee-bearing work, we will advise you of this, and will provide you with a written quotation. Only once you have agreed the scope of work to be undertaken and the quoted price, will we proceed.
As such, our initial consultation is a truly free, and without-obligation, service. If you would like to arrange a meeting, then please contact us or book an appointment using the button below.