Protecting Your Creative Assets: IP & Copyright Essentials

Your creative work is valuable - make sure it’s protected. This session helps creative practitioners understand the fundamentals of intellectual property and how to use it strategically. Delivered by Albi Lamaj and Elida Dode, who bring deep expertise from Coventry University’s innovation and commercialisation ecosystem who run the flagship DigiSpin programme.

Key takeaways:

• A clear understanding of what IP you already own (even if you don’t realise it yet)
• Practical steps to protect your ideas, software, designs, artwork, and concepts
• How IP impacts collaborations, commissions, freelancing, and joint ventures
• How to embed IP thinking into proposals, funding bids, and project plans
• A breakdown of different commercialisation routes - licensing, spin-outs, CICs, etc.
• Real-world examples from Coventry University researchers
• Awareness of regional support through DigispinWM

Why join:

If you create original work, you have IP - but are you using it to its full potential? This clinic ensures you protect your value, avoid common pitfalls, and feel more confident when engaging with clients, collaborators, or funders.

About the speakers

Albi Lamaj

Albi Lamaj is the Associate Director of Intellectual Property at Coventry University’s Innovation Ecosystem. She leads initiatives in technology transfer, IP commercialisation, and spin-out development. Albi plays a key role in projects like DigiSpin WM, supporting innovation and economic growth across the West Midlands. Albi Lamaj is the Principal Investigator and strategic lead for DigiSpin West Midlands, a pioneering programme funded by Research England to transform how universities collaborate on technology transfer, spin-out creation, and IP commercialisation.

She led the successful funding bid to Research England, developed the programme’s strategic framework, and has overseen its delivery across three universities, bringing together institutional partners, stakeholders, and regional priorities to create a shared innovation model. Her leadership has been instrumental in driving the programme’s vision, delivery, and long-term impact.

In her wider role at Coventry University, Albi leads IP strategy and commercialisation within the Innovation Ecosystem, supporting staff, students and researchers to translate cutting-edge research into real-world impact through licensing, partnerships, and spin-out ventures.

Elida Dode - IP Commercialisation Executive

Elida Dode is an IP Commercialisation Executive at Coventry University and a key contributor to the DigiSpin West Midlands team. She supports the commercialisation of academic innovations, focusing on IP assessment, protection, and strategy. With a background in law and expertise in tech transfer, Elida helps drive regional collaboration and spin-out development.

What Is CreaTech Frontiers?

CreaTech Frontiers is a 5-year £7.2 million project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) establishing a West Midlands CreaTech ecosystem by funding collaborative R&D, supporting business innovation and developing skills and talent.

More details: https://createchfrontiers.com/

Photography & Filming Notice

This event will be filmed and photographed. Footage may be used in post-event materials, highlights, and social media. If you prefer not to appear on camera, please let a member of the team know on arrival.