In this episode of DefTechPod, Erica Dill-Russell is joined by Drew Rudhall, Senior Associate at Reddie & Grose, for a practical discussion on intellectual property and what defence, security and dual-use technology companies need to understand before they start sharing their ideas with the world. Drew is a UK and European patent attorney with a technical background in laser physics and biophotonics. His work covers a wide range of technology areas, including telecommunications, AI, cybersecurity, electronics, medical devices, mechanical engineering and 3GPP technologies. That combination of scientific training and legal practice gives him a useful perspective on how technical companies think about invention, protection, disclosure and commercial value. The conversation focuses on a problem that comes up repeatedly for small businesses and start-ups entering defence and security markets: how much to say, when to say it, and what needs to be protected before conversations with government, investors, partners or potential customers begin. Some companies are so protective of their IP that they struggle to explain what they have built. Others disclose too much, too early, and risk undermining the very protection they later need. Drew explains why public disclosure can be such a serious issue for patent protection, why timing matters when filing a patent application, and why companies should speak to a patent attorney before a conference, investor pitch or government engagement if they think their technology may be protectable. He also discusses the limits of relying on NDAs alone. An NDA may be necessary, but it is not the same thing as having a robust IP position, especially if a company would struggle to enforce it later. The episode also looks at collaboration risk. Defence and security companies often work with partners, subcontractors, advisers, investors and government users while their technology is still developing. Drew explains why it is important to understand what IP each party brings into a collaboration, who owns anything created during the work, and what happens if a key inventor leaves the company. These issues can become particularly difficult when technical staff move to competitors or when patent applications have been filed in the wrong name. Erica and Drew also discuss when patenting may not be the right answer. Some technologies may be better protected as trade secrets, particularly where the underlying process is hard to reverse engineer. Other inventions may be difficult to patent because the genuinely new element is narrow, easy to design around, or falls into a difficult area such as some types of software. Drew explains how companies should think about the difference between commercial value, patentability and freedom to operate. For companies building technology for defence, security, R&D, trials, procurement or investor-backed growth, this episode is a useful guide to the decisions that need to be made before momentum builds. It is not enough to have a strong invention. Companies also need to understand how to protect it, how to talk about it, and how to avoid creating problems that only become visible when funding, procurement or investment due diligence begins.
