Mushroombiz Insights

When managing risks, you need to set out Control Statements i.e. what you are going to do to minimise the likelihood of an adverse incident occurring and – if it does – minimising its impact. A clear understanding of your risks and achievable Control Statements is often a major competitive advantage for any company. To do this you need to understand the different types of risk management options you have available.  

Let's be honest, there are very few easy occupations out there. Pretty much everyone reading this article will know that business - whatever your business is - is hardly without its challenges. No one (that I've met, anyway) sits at their desk and thinks to themselves "wow, it's so easy for me to find and attract customers, convince them to do business with me and deliver a quality product or service to or above their expectations".  Life isn't that much of a picnic. That's why it always astounds me when people are so laissez faire about the way they manage...

In Part 1 of our guide to IP, we looked at Confidential and Proprietary information, Copyright, Trademarks and Passing Off. These are types of what is colloquially known as soft IP - that is: intellectual property that is not a patent (aka hard IP). Design rights also fall into the umbrella category of soft IP. In this Part 2, we take a look at Design Rights, as well as looking at how patents can be used to protect new and innovative physical products (inventions). Design rights Design rights are a type of intellectual property that protect the visual appearance of designs. They...

Before IP - Confidential & Proprietary Information Before we delve into IP rights, remember to protect as much information in your business as possible. The commercial information you hold in your documents, plans and accounting records, is key to what you do and how you do it, and also what constitutes the business. Sometimes these are referred to as trade secrets or commercial secrets. This confidential information is key to success in any business and can also harm any business if it is used by another. What if a competitor discovers your pricing on a product and how much margin you make? Or if the detail of how...