Scoot Boot embarked on a transformative journey, redefining horse hoof care with an innovative alternative to traditional metal horseshoes. Recognising the limitations and harm caused by metal shoes, the team behind Scoot Boot developed a product that prioritises the horse's structural integrity without compromising protection. This journey from concept to market leader was marked by strategic IP management, ensuring their innovative design remained protected globally.
Annette: The old way of keeping a horse's hooves protected is shoeing a horse. So nailing iron onto the end of their feet, and it compromises the whole integrity of the horse structure.
Dave: I said about designing something that I thought could replace the metal horseshoe.
We think everybody should know about boots after boots being in mainstream for nearly 30 years.
But there's still so many horse owners totally unaware that hoof boots exist.
Annette: Very important to ensure that all of our products are protected.
Dave: We were fairly early with ours, the scoot boot on the market. That gave us good opportunity to be able to get good coverage, in the design to keep clear of previous art in the IP world.
I'm convinced that we've got a very sound, secure design that is thoroughly protected.
Annette: At ScootBoot our IP strategy does evolve depending on what we're doing.
We have patients across the globe, but we have different patent claims, different families.
Last count, I think it was over 20 different patents for not just our product, but for our accessories as well.
We started production in the early part of 2015 and in April 2015, we launched in my backyard, in my shed.
It was a real collaborative union, both Dave and I Dave was the creative mind behind this product, and I guess I had the strategic mind because I came from a legal background.
So the two skill sets we had complemented one another.
The main challenge for the IP process is we spent a lot of money on our legals in relation to trying to get our patent claims through the process, the national phase.
Dave: That is something for anybody to realise this, that's so vital, take a business off the ground with protection that you got a, a very, very good patent attorney.
A good patent attorney will be able to challenge, get it through the process.
We've been able to overturn these objections. To make it distinctive, different. Over 30 odd 40 years of being around horses, you get to know what's on the market, the areas that there is room for improvement, and then you know what sort of, whether it's worthwhile pushing ahead with a patent.
Annette: We are the market leaders of the hoof boot.
I say this all the time, we just don't sell a product.
All of us are passionate about the welfare of horses.
Dave: I said about designing something that I thought could replace the metal horseshoe.
We think everybody should know about boots after boots being in mainstream for nearly 30 years.
But there's still so many horse owners totally unaware that hoof boots exist.
Annette: Very important to ensure that all of our products are protected.
Dave: We were fairly early with ours, the scoot boot on the market. That gave us good opportunity to be able to get good coverage, in the design to keep clear of previous art in the IP world.
I'm convinced that we've got a very sound, secure design that is thoroughly protected.
Annette: At ScootBoot our IP strategy does evolve depending on what we're doing.
We have patients across the globe, but we have different patent claims, different families.
Last count, I think it was over 20 different patents for not just our product, but for our accessories as well.
We started production in the early part of 2015 and in April 2015, we launched in my backyard, in my shed.
It was a real collaborative union, both Dave and I Dave was the creative mind behind this product, and I guess I had the strategic mind because I came from a legal background.
So the two skill sets we had complemented one another.
The main challenge for the IP process is we spent a lot of money on our legals in relation to trying to get our patent claims through the process, the national phase.
Dave: That is something for anybody to realise this, that's so vital, take a business off the ground with protection that you got a, a very, very good patent attorney.
A good patent attorney will be able to challenge, get it through the process.
We've been able to overturn these objections. To make it distinctive, different. Over 30 odd 40 years of being around horses, you get to know what's on the market, the areas that there is room for improvement, and then you know what sort of, whether it's worthwhile pushing ahead with a patent.
Annette: We are the market leaders of the hoof boot.
I say this all the time, we just don't sell a product.
All of us are passionate about the welfare of horses.