We’ve launched a new guide to the law for startups in collaboration with the Happy Startup School. The toolkit includes information about setting up your business, getting the most from your people, building relationships with customers and suppliers, getting the most from your website and making money from your ideas.
The toolkit was launched at the Happy Startup School Summercamp on 20 September, which Waterfront sponsored. We joined a host of entrepreneurs, who gathered to hear a packed agenda of inspirational speakers talk about building businesses with passion. The philosophy behind the Startup School is that companies should measure their success in terms of happiness, as well as profits.
While no one would argue that pursuing happiness is a bad thing, some might view it as a bit of a distraction in the business world, where it’s all about the bottom line. But it turns out that happiness has everything to do with the bottom line.
Independent financial analysis shows that the financial performance of the publicly traded “100 Best Great Places to Work” consistently outperforms major stock indices by a factor of two.
Waterfront Solicitors founding partner, Carole Hailey said, “When we started Waterfront in 2002, we didn’t explicitly set out to create a firm which was all about happiness. But our work springs from our passion for helping other businesses to grow, rather than making a quick buck. So we really support the philosophy of the Happy Startup School, which echoes our experience of success based on putting people first.”
In an increasingly competitive market where innovation, aesthetics, and brand identity are critical assets UK businesses must take a strategic approach to intellectual property (IP) protection. Whether you’re a fashion brand, tech firm, or start-up, building and maintaining a strong IP portfolio is essential for long-term value and commercial success.
Generative AI represents a new frontier in fashion innovation but it also challenges conventional notions of creativity, ownership, and protection. As the law catches up, designers, tech firms, and brands must proactively engage with and stay on top of the changes. Whether it’s securing copyright, registering designs, or navigating patents, a specialist AI London Solicitor or IP London Solicitor can help turn AI built fashion into a legally protected asset.
As the digital fashion industry booms alongside the rise of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), questions around intellectual property (IP) ownership, licensing, and legal enforcement are more pressing than ever. Digital garments at first only used in the gaming sphere are now traded on blockchain platforms, worn in virtual environments, and even showcased on social media and virtual runways. With this evolution comes the need for legal clarity, especially for designers, platforms, and consumers based in the UK.