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Intellectual
property is defined as the ownership of creations of the mind, namely inventions,
literary and art works, designs, symbols and even names that are used for
commercial purposes. There are four main types of intellectual property (IP)
which we will take a look at here.
1. The Patent -
This is designed to protect
inventive ideas or processes, as well as new strains of plants. If you think
you have an idea that could change the world, this might be the right IP
protection for you, and the process involves listing the manufacturing process
and would be supported with diagrams and drawings.
According to Heer Law, it would take an average of 33.6 months to get a patent in Canada and an average of 23.4 months to if you’re filing a patent in the United States.
2. Trademarks -
Trademarks protect phrases, words, symbols, sounds, color schemes and even
smells. You cannot, for example, copy the logo of a company like Apple or McDonalds,
which would be IP-protected in the form of a trademark.
Many companies do not actively protect their logo or even color scheme, rather
they rely on the goodwill of the business community, and should someone copy
their details, they would likely take legal action.
3. Copyright -
This type of IP protection is used
in the music and movie industry to protect songs and films, and would also
include books, other written forms and even computer software. Some software
developers claim copyright infringement, especially in the cyber-security
industry, where companies are advised to seek expert ISO 27001 consulting from companies like CXO Security to help them in this matter. There have been many cases of
a songwriter taking another musician to court, accusing them of using their
song, or parts of it, and it can be very difficult to draw the line. The
Australian band, Men at Work, were successfully sued for using someone else’s
melody in their hit record “Down Under”, which cost them thousands of dollars.
Digital data can easily be stolen and if you have valuable computer files, talk
to an established IT security provider, who can set up protection.
4. Trade Secrets -
This
includes formulas, systems, devices that are exclusive properties of a company.
There is no registration process for trade secrets; rather, the owner is
expected to provide adequate protection, indeed, on many occasions when a
company has taken a person to court for stealing trade secrets, it was deemed
that the owner did not take adequate precautions to protect themselves. Trade
secrets usually give the holder a distinct advantage in the business world, so
they should be very careful about who is given access to the data.
If you have very valuable digital data that you wish to
protect, contact a company that specializes in IT security, who can take steps
to ensure that you are never a victim of cyber-crime.
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Intellectual property has been created since the beginning
of time, yet it is only in the last 200 years that we have been able to protect
our intellectual property by registering with an authority. If you have
intellectual property that you would like to protect, talk to a specialist
lawyer who can recommend the best course of action, and with their help, your
IP will be adequately protected.
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