So you sent the production company this amazing idea for a tv series and they wrote back and said it's a non-runner but thank you for making contact and don't bother to do so again. And blow me, you've just watched the first programme in a series of 20 which has been sold to the world and it's a carbon copy of your idea. Or may be you are running Fred's Hot Chilli and Mackerel Potato Stall and a rival business has been opened round the corner calling itself Frederick's Hottish Chilli and Mackerel Potato Stall.
You may well have a claim. An intellectual property claim they would call it. They had to call it something. Better than a copycat claim.
It is now going to be possible for anyone who cannot afford to hire a lawyer to make - or defend- an intellectual property claim to obtain advice and legal support FOR FREE. IP Pro Bono has been set up to provide this through a number of leading intellectual property organisations. Generally, you won't qualify for this free help if you are an individual with an annual income above £45,000 or are running a business with an annual turnover exceeding £100,000. Go to www.ipprobono.org.uk
