Copyright arises as soon as the work is produced. Trade marks are business names which can be protected for ever under the Trade Marks Act 1994 and protect a trading reputation. Unregistered trade marks can be protected under the tort of passing off. Designs can be either registered or unregistered. Registered designs protect the aesthetic appeal of an article, how it appears to the eye.
Unregistered designs protect more mundane designs.
Many articles are protected by all four types of iprs. In addition there are specialist rights, such as plant breeders' rights and rights in semi- conductor topographies. You have two alternatives. Which route you take will depend on your business acumen and the extent to which you wish to be involved in exploitation. You may make more money by granting limited licenses to a variety of companies for different applications of the invention for fixed periods.