Corporate & commercial

Protecting the ideas that set you apart.

Trademarks, patents, copyright and designs, secured, licensed and enforced, so the value you create is owned by you and defensible against others.

Book a consultation All practice areas

For many modern businesses, the most valuable thing they own cannot be touched: a brand, an invention, a body of creative work, a distinctive design. Intellectual property law turns those intangibles into protected assets that can be defended, licensed and sold. Without protection, they are far easier to lose.

We help clients identify what is worth protecting, secure it through the right registrations, put it to work through licensing, and defend it when others infringe. Because rights are territorial, we coordinate protection across Nigeria, the UK and Canada and beyond, so your IP travels with your business.

What we help with

From first right to full enforcement.

Trademarks

Clearing, registering and protecting the names and marks that identify your brand.

Patents

Advising on protection for inventions and coordinating registration with patent specialists.

Copyright

Protecting creative and original works, and resolving questions of ownership and use.

Designs

Securing the appearance of products through registered design protection.

Licensing & assignment

Drafting the agreements that let you earn from, or transfer, your intellectual property.

Enforcement

Acting against infringement and counterfeiting to protect the value of your rights.

Ideas are assets. Treat them like property, register them, license them, defend them, and they will reward you like property.

The Old Stone Legal approach

The law where you are

Protecting IP across our jurisdictions.

Nigeria

Trademarks, Patents and Copyright law

Trademarks and patents are registered through the relevant national registries.
Copyright protects original works, with registration available as evidence of rights.
Enforcement runs through the courts and, for some matters, regulatory bodies.

United Kingdom

UK Intellectual Property Office

Trademarks, patents and registered designs are secured through the UK IPO.
Copyright generally arises automatically in qualifying original works.
Rights are enforced through the courts, including specialist IP tribunals.

Canada

Canadian Intellectual Property Office

Trademarks, patents and industrial designs are registered through CIPO.
Copyright arises in original works, with registration available.
Enforcement is pursued through the Canadian courts.

How we work with you

Securing and growing your rights.

Audit & strategy

We identify the IP you hold and should hold, and set a protection strategy across your markets.

Register & secure

We file and manage the registrations that put your rights on a defensible footing.

Licence & commercialise

We draft the agreements that let you earn from your IP without giving it away.

Monitor & enforce

We watch for infringement and act decisively to protect the value of your rights.

Common questions

Intellectual property, answered.

How do I protect my brand name?

The most reliable protection for a brand name is a registered trademark. We first clear the mark to check it is available, then register it in the classes and territories that matter to you. Registration gives you a stronger basis to stop others using a confusingly similar name.

What is the difference between a trademark, a patent and copyright?

In short, a trademark protects brand identifiers such as names and logos, a patent protects inventions, and copyright protects original creative works. They serve different purposes, and a single product can involve all three. We help you apply the right protection to each part of what you have created.

Do I need to register copyright?

Copyright generally arises automatically in qualifying original works without registration. That said, registration where available can provide useful evidence of ownership and dates, which helps if you ever need to enforce your rights. We advise on whether registration is worthwhile in your case.

How do I protect IP in more than one country?

Intellectual property rights are territorial, so protection in one country does not automatically extend to another. We plan a registration strategy across the markets that matter to you, using national and international routes as appropriate, and coordinate it across our offices.

Related services

Corporate law Business registration Contract disputes International law

Speak with us

Own what you create.

Tell us about the ideas, brands or works you need to protect, and we will help you secure them.

Book a consultation