Wedding
bells ring in big rewards
Name: Wayne Evans
Business: Mobile Wedding Bells
Industry: Wedding entertainment
IP smart since: In 2006, he purchased
the registered Australian innovation patent and a share
in the US innovation patent.
Wedding bells ring in big rewards
Some of today’s most successful companies are built on harnessing ideas
and turning them into a reality.
While many companies choose to retain or develop their
ideas, others find reward in selling or sharing their
intellectual property — and Mobile Wedding Bells
is a perfect example.
Queensland businessman Wayne Evans is the proud new
owner of a company he bought in 2006 that was built
on the invention of Wadih McKasah. Wadih developed a
set of mobile wedding bells for his own nuptials —
and saw a niche for them in the Australian wedding industry.
Wadih spent two years after his 2002 wedding developing
the mobile unit, which features nine bronze cathedral
bells on a custom-built trailer that is towed to functions
by car. After realising his mobile unit was quite unique,
Wadih investigated his options to formally protect his
intellectual property to ensure he owned the rights
to the innovation. After seeking advice from a patent
attorney, he successfully obtained an innovation patent
in Australia.
Combining the existing ideas of the bells and trailer
was a unique concept that was perfectly suited to the
innovation patent. Wadih also successfully obtained
a separate patent in the USA.
In Wadih’s case, protecting his intellectual property
gave his business value, which Wayne was quick to identify.
“I went and saw the invention for myself and
knew straight away I wanted to be involved,” he
said.
Buying the intellectual property rights was no more
complicated than a straightforward business purchase,
although Wayne said he had sought advice from a patent
attorney.
Wayne bought the business under the purchase agreement,
which included the innovation patent rights in Australia
as well as a share in Wadih’s American patent.
Under the purchase agreement, Wadih’s Australian
innovation patent became Wayne’s property.
Wayne said he relied on a patent attorney to assist
him in the administration of his patent, which lasts
for maximum of eight years.
“I wouldn’t know the first thing about
patents, how to protect them or how to keep them in
force, so it is good to have the support of experts,”
Wayne said.
He believes this support would also hold him in good
stead if he were ever faced with having to legally enforce
his rights.
“We haven’t had to cross that bridge yet
and I hope we don’t. Obviously you can’t
stop others from building something similar, but you
can stop them from trading on it,” he said.
Wayne said that while it was hard to put a value on
the company’s intellectual property, it played
an enormous role in assisting the company to grow without
the pressure of copycats or competitors saturating the
marketplace. This made his innovation patent one the
company’s greatest assets.
“It is amazing to think that an idea can be so
valuable,” he said.
Wayne believes his bells have a big future in Australia
? and he offers suitable licensees the chance to run
their own Mobile Wedding Bells business. Already Mobile
Wedding Bells businesses can be found on the Gold Coast,
Byron Bay, Sydney and Melbourne.
He also hopes his share in Wadih’s American patent
will bring further rewards and opportunities.
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