ServicesCompany Setup & Legal

Intellectual Property. Done right.

Identify, protect and account for your IP, trademarks, assignments and Patent Box, handled by an ACCA-qualified team.

Your brand, your code, your designs and your know-how are often the most valuable things your business owns, and the easiest to lose if the paperwork is wrong. Intellectual property only protects you when it is properly identified, legally assigned to the company (not sitting with a founder or a freelancer), recorded correctly on your balance sheet, and used to claim every tax relief you are entitled to. We bring those four strands together: the legal documents that secure your IP, and the accounting and tax treatment that turns it into a real asset. You get a named, ACCA-qualified accountant, fixed pricing with no hourly surprises, and replies within 72 hours. Whether you need a trademark filed, IP assigned cleanly ahead of a fundraise, or a Patent Box claim built, we make sure nothing valuable is left undervalued, unprotected or unclaimed.

  • 4.9 Google · 63 reviews
  • ACCA-qualified
  • 30-day money-back
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Our expertise covers

Everything in this service, in one bill.

  • 01

    IP audit and asset identification

    Most founders underestimate what they own. We work through your business to surface every protectable asset, brand names and logos, software and source code, product designs, written content, databases and confidential know-how, and tell you which can be registered, which are protected automatically, and which are exposed. The result is a clear register of your intellectual property and a prioritised plan for securing it before it becomes a problem at due diligence.

  • 02

    Trademark and registered-rights filings

    We prepare and file UK trademark applications with the Intellectual Property Office, including the right class selection so your mark actually covers what you sell. We also advise on registered designs and coordinate copyright and patent matters. Where specialist patent attorney work is required we flag it and work alongside them, we are clear about what sits inside an accounting and advisory remit and what needs a registered attorney.

  • 03

    IP assignment and ownership paperwork

    This is where most early-stage businesses are caught out: IP created by founders before incorporation, or by contractors and agencies, does not automatically belong to your company. We draft IP-assignment agreements that move ownership cleanly into the business, plus assignment clauses for employment and contractor agreements, so investors and buyers see an unbroken chain of title. Getting this right early avoids a scramble, and a discount on your valuation, at fundraise or exit.

  • 04

    IP valuation and balance-sheet treatment

    Internally generated IP is frequently missing from accounts entirely, while acquired IP is often mis-stated. We apply the recognised valuation approaches, cost, market and income, and account for intangible assets correctly under UK GAAP, including amortisation and impairment. Done properly, this strengthens your balance sheet for lenders and investors and gives you a defensible figure when IP is licensed, sold or transferred.

  • 05

    Patent Box and R&D tax relief

    If your company holds qualifying patents, the Patent Box regime can apply a reduced 10% corporation tax rate to profits attributable to that IP, against a main rate that is materially higher. We assess eligibility, handle the elections and build the calculation, and we coordinate it with any R&D tax relief claim so the two reliefs work together rather than against each other. We only claim what the rules genuinely support and document everything for HMRC.

  • 06

    Licensing, royalties and commercialisation

    IP earns its keep when it generates revenue. We help you structure licensing and royalty arrangements, draft the commercial terms, and set them up in a tax-efficient way, including the share-transfer and ownership mechanics where IP is held in a separate company. Note that a transfer of shares in a UK company carries Stamp Duty at 0.5% on consideration over £1,000, which we factor into any group restructure involving IP-holding entities.

Why it pays off

What you actually get.

  • Investment- and exit-ready from day one

    Investors and acquirers scrutinise IP ownership harder than almost anything else. A clean chain of title, registered marks and properly stated intangibles remove the single most common reason deals get repriced or delayed. We get this in order before you need it, not in the panic of a data room.

  • One team for the legal and the numbers

    Most firms make you bolt a solicitor onto your accountant. We handle the assignment paperwork, the trademark filing, the balance-sheet treatment and the tax claim under one roof, so the documents and the accounts actually agree with each other.

  • Real tax savings, claimed correctly

    Patent Box and R&D relief can cut your corporation tax bill significantly, but only when the IP is owned, evidenced and elected properly. We build claims that stand up to HMRC scrutiny, never inflated, always documented.

  • Fixed pricing, no hourly meter

    Rolling monthly plans at £99, £199 and £499 with no surprise invoices and no per-letter charges. You always know what IP work costs before it starts, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

  • A named accountant who knows your IP

    You deal with one ACCA-qualified accountant who understands your assets, not a rotating support queue. Expect substantive replies within 72 hours and advice that fits your actual cap table and plans.

How we deliver

Four steps from first call to filed.

  • 01

    Discovery

    Understanding your business needs.

  • 02

    Solution Design

    Crafting your custom accounting strategy.

  • 03

    Onboarding

    Quick and easy integration.

  • 04

    Regular Rhythm

    Consistent monitoring and reporting.

See the full process
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Common questions

Frequently asked questions.

Patent Box reduces corporation tax on profits attributable to qualifying UK or European patents from 25% to 10%. To qualify you need a granted patent (not a pending application), the patent must be exploited commercially, and you must have been actively involved in developing it. We assess eligibility, calculate the qualifying profit stream, and make the election on your CT600.

Three accepted methodologies: cost (what it took to create), market (what comparable IP sells for), and income (the discounted future cash flow it generates). Income approaches typically produce the highest defensible valuations and are the standard for due diligence and balance sheet recognition. We use the method that fits the purpose - audit, fundraising, or sale.

Yes - and for many businesses (formulas, customer data, proprietary processes) trade secret protection is stronger than a patent because it does not expire and does not require public disclosure. Protection requires demonstrable steps: NDAs with everyone who sees the information, access controls, documented confidentiality policies, and a register of who has been exposed.

Holding IP in a separate company - often an IP holding company - and licensing it to trading entities can deliver Patent Box relief, ring-fence IP from operational risk, and simplify cross-border licensing. The transfer of pricing has to be at arm's length and properly documented to satisfy HMRC, which is where most DIY structures fall over.

Buyers and investors look for clean IP ownership chains (every contractor and employee has assigned their work to the company), registered trademarks for brand and product names, and properly documented licences for any third-party IP in the product. Gaps in any of these knock the valuation down or stall the deal. We run pre-deal IP audits to fix issues before they surface in due diligence.

Got a different question?
Zmartly Ltd20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU020 8175 5145info@zmartly.co.uk
Free · 30 minutes · No obligation

Stop overpaying tax. Start filing in 5 days.

Thirty minutes with an ACCA-qualified accountant. Most owners uncover £1,000-£3,000 in annual savings on the first call. If we are not the right fit, you walk away with a free tax review on the house.

Book my Tax Health CheckCall 020 8175 5145
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