We are a patent and design attorney practice based in the Nexus technology hub within Solasta House on the UHI Inverness campus. Capella IP was founded in 2009 to enable UK clients to obtain, manage, and use their Intellectual Property (IP) effectively, and to service overseas clients before the UK and European Patent Offices. We protect IP and develop clear IP strategies to enhance market position. We moved to the Nexus hub in March 2019, and were delighted to find ourselves amongst a proactive bunch of technology start-ups and companies. Capella IP is a small, but perfectly formed, team of three.
I am Dr Kate Macdonald, owner and Director of Capella IP. I am a Chartered UK and European Patent Attorney and European Design Attorney with over 27 years’ experience –in small businesses, in large law firms and in a large international corporation here in Inverness, where I led the innovation team for a while. I want to be the most supportive, straight-talking and approachable patent attorney in Scotland. Whilst this means harking back to my Yorkshire roots and saying things how they are sometimes, it also means encouraging innovators and entrepreneurs to use their skills and passion to understand and get to the bottom of IP.
I started my business because in a crisis people innovate. At the time, the financial crisis of 2008 was inching towards a recovery. People do innovate in a crisis. Right now, I am passionate about helping entrepreneurs demystify and use IP to support their evolving plans and businesses in the current pandemic. Sometimes we all need a fresh start.
I know what IP can do for businesses because I know that having IP rights can put you in a different playing field in terms of opportunities, credibility, and growth
There is no doubt that the current pandemic is a real crisis for individuals, businesses and communities, and we do want to help. You will hear stories in the news about the people who were reluctant to start a business in the past because of the risk of stepping away from a steady job. But that has all changed for many people. Now they may not have a choice; the risk is similar whether they start a business or they don’t. We know some of the tips and tricks to help a business fly. Sometimes that might involve paying us for our time, but there are many tips and tricks around using IP which are completely free and we want to pass on the knowledge.
With that in mind, we thoroughly enjoyed hosting a webinar with the Chamber in July on Innovation, IP and Looking Forward in a Crisis. Attendees learned about IP and how it can help. The recording is still available to members and we encourage anyone starting a business to watch it. We want to spread the word that we are here; we offer an initial free discovery session, we offer legal skills to rival those of the Central Belt, and we want to help the businesses of the Highlands and Islands thrive.
We are passionate about the benefits of a well thought out, flexible IP strategy for start-ups and established businesses, and achieving the right IP protection for your business and budget.
Your chances in business improve with attention to IP.A 2019 study[1] on High Growth SMEs and IP rights by the European Union Intellectual Property Office learned that ‘SMEs that have filed at least one IP Right are found to be 21% more likely to grow in the following three years, and 10% more likely to become a high-growth firm’ and
Surprisingly perhaps, the power of patents is very high in low-tech industries (such as food products and textiles), where filing a European patent is associated with an 172% increase in the likelihood of the SME subsequently experiencing a high growth period. This is a good illustration of the ability of patents to reflect the competitive advantage that a firm in a low-tech sector can gain by innovating.
Protecting your IP is worth thinking about, so get in touch to arrange a free discovery session, or to find out about our IP Clinics.
We focus on the reasons why clients are interested in IP in the first place, and the development of overall IP Strategies for our clients. This may mean a formal written IP strategy or an IP Audit, but it can also mean those nuggets of gold in conversations with us that help entrepreneurs decide when and how to put effort, energy and money into IP to drive their business forward.
We are aiming to grow; reaching out to our local, national and international contacts with similar aims and aspirations to help their innovation communities. We want to become known as the Intellectual Property practice for the Highlands and Islands.
We are also planning to restart our successful monthly IP clinic.
Inverness Chamber asked us what we value most about membership: “I most value seeing the positivity and encouragement which Chamber members give one another. Being able to attend various networking events and engage with other Chamber members has been terrific, especially at this time.”
Our top-tip for other Chamber members to maximise their membership would be to: “Keep in touch and talk to Stewart and the team, their resolute support and continuing supplies of ever-changing information, as well as their connections can help keep you going and solve problems at times like these.”
In addition, to our free initial discover session, we can provide links to free IP resources to get you started, get in touch if you would like to know more.