Other people are also creative and may use trade marks, patents or designs to protect their intangible assets. That is why you should always ensure that your innovations and creations do not infringe the intellectual property of others.

If you are the manufacturer of an MP3 player, for example, and you put an image of a bitten-into pear on your latest product, you could be infringing Apple’s trade mark. As a result, you could receive a written warning or, in a worst-case scenario, might even have to take your product off the market and pay damages.

If you want to avoid disputes with your competitors, then a search can help determine whether:

• Your product infringes the scope of protection of another patent
• Your product name, company name or even your logo infringes older trade mark rights
• Your competitors have registered similar designs