As Wales marks St David’s Day, it is a fitting moment to reflect on five remarkable inventions either created in Wales or developed by Welsh-born innovators. These ideas have shaped industries, transformed lives and, in some cases, changed the course of history. Richard Trevithick (1771–1833) is best known for building the first steam locomotive to…
With the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Scotland in just a few months’ time it seemed an appropriate time to have a look at the quiet revolution that has been steadily making an impact on our city streets and gradually changing the face of transport around the world. Electric cars may seem…
As the world looks back 50 years to the first moon landing in 1969 and those iconic words uttered by Neil Armstrong: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” it is easy to be caught up in the sheer wonder and awe of this incredible Apollo 11 mission. But the stark…
While the seemingly thorny 3D printing issue has only reared in the UK in the last few years, the technology itself has been developing steadily since the 1980s. Machines with the ability to print objects came to the attention of mainstream consumers here in the UK and become more of a concern for businesses as…
We’re all familiar with imitation handbags and dodgy ‘designer’ sunglasses that people might try to sell you while you’re on holiday but there are some common more everyday intellectual property issues out there that you may not have considered to pose an IP problem. You might have come across them under the guise of a…
As a festive treat we have put together a list of exciting and interesting Christmas-related inventions from the last 100 years. All but one of the inventions comes from the US where Christmas seems to inspire some intense innovation. Merry Christmas And Happy New Year! From the London IP Team 10.…
Here is part 2 of our Top 50 Brand Names People use as Generic Terms. If you haven’t seen part 1 yet, click here.
Many people call items by a name which is widely recognised and is even used across different languages with the same meaning. What the majority don’t realise is that they are often using brand names owned by specific companies rather than their actual generic product name. Here are some popular items in alphabetical order that…
Every year brings new inventions. Some permanently change our lives almost overnight, some take time to become ‘part of the furniture’, and some disappear as soon as they are patented because there was never a real need for them. Over the last century there have been thousands of patented ideas around the world and whilst…
