Protecting your intellectual property in the UK does not provide automatic protection abroad (with the exception of copyright, which covers most countries). You usually need to make separate applications for protection abroad. In some cases (e.g. patents and trade marks), you can make a single application which covers all the countries in the European Union.
Of course, these extra applications add to the costs, and enforcing your rights overseas can be very difficult and expensive. As with domestic intellectual property protection, it will only be worthwhile if the commercial benefits justify it.
