Network meeting leads to patent pending

A Hyndburn-based business has applied for a patent pending for a new security product after an introduction through a local networking group.

Morgan Rothwell of Burnley-based marketing company D&M Creative met Umar Memon of Jack Ross Chartered Accountants at BNI Zeus, who introduced him to new start-up company Defender Note through his contact Deyrick Allen. Following the introduction, Morgan was appointed marketing director for Defender Note - a new product aimed at protecting users against contactless card identity theft.

BNI Zeus is part of the world’s biggest referral organisation, Business Network International, and meets for breakfast every Wednesday at The Globe Centre, Accrington. Established over 30 years ago, BNI now has over 185,000 members in over 70 countries worldwide. It works by organising weekly networking meetings for groups of businesses who work to find business opportunities for one another. Each group, or chapter, follows proven networking processes to ensure the maximum amount of business is generated for members. The Defender Note protects contactless cards details by blocking the radio waves that enable handheld card readers used by criminals to steal card information. The specially designed core material is flexible enough to fit in most wallets, handbags, purses and cases, to fully enclose the contents for full protection. Morgan Rothwell says: “After reading a newspaper article about how easy it is for criminals to steal card data using handheld devices, we looked for a way to develop a product to protect against criminals stealing data from wallets and purses without the owner knowing, which led to the development of Defender Note. “Independent tests have proven that Defender Note offers the highest level of shielding available, protecting data on any RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) device, not just bank cards. The Defender Note has been independently tested by Digital Locksmiths Limited and we have applied for a UK patent to cover the innovation, and have started the application process in the US to launch it over there too. “The product is already available to buy at our website and we are in talks with some major retailers to get it onto shop shelves.” For more information about Defender Note, got to www.defendernote.co.uk. For more information about BNI in Lancashire, go to www.networkingnorth.co.uk.