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.