Protecting a business idea - the irn-bru way

Here is a great way of illustrating the concept of protecting a business idea - without resorting to the tired and boring descriptions of patents, copyright and trademarks. Step forward the maker of Irn-Bru

An article on the BBC Scotland website describes how Robin Barr, the Chairman of the drinks firm AG Barr is stepping down from this role on the Board. But that’s not all he is stepping down from.

For Mr Barr is “one of only two people in the world who knows the secret recipe for the best-selling Irn Bru drink and the two never travel on the same plane.”

The article describes how “once a month the essences for the drink are personally mixed by Robin Barr in a sealed room at the company’s headquarters in Cumbernauld. The 32 different ingredients are combined in a huge vat, which mixes 8,000 litres at a time.”

A great example of how to protect intellectual property and prevent the competition from copying a good idea.

For good measure, you might also want to show students the latest Irn-Bru advert, which is an engaging one-minute spoof of High School Musical. Very amusing: