Private Investigator - Types Of Intellectual Property Rights
Intellectual Property (IP) are those rights to creations of the human mind that are recognized across the globe even if some differences may be evident depending on an individual country’s legislation. Laws on this rights help keep peoples’ creative fire alive by protecting creations from theft. Musicians, Artists, innovators and developers need intellectual property that once acquired is legal proof that they were the original creators. This secures their efforts and encourages them to continue creating quality product that boost the economy.
There are various ways of protecting intellectual property depending on various parameters and you need to understand them in order to protect your designs or inventions. Types of intellectual property may differ from country to country but you will often encounter the following;
Names and symbols are important aspects of branding for any venture but there is always a chance that someone might come up with the name you already chose. This might lead to court time but if you have a Trademark, nobody else can use the name and customers will find you easily. A trademark must be unique, clear and easy to remember. The process can be done online but many people prefer hiring agents to complete the complicated process.
These protect expressive arts like books, plays, or music. They allow artists to reproduce, display and create derivative works from them. Copyrights make you the owner of certain property which others can only use if granted permission by you. You need to realize that copyrights only protect how ideas are expressed. Contrary to common thought, it is optional to register copyright as it exists as soon as works of art are created. It is however recommended that people register for copyright to benefit from statutory damages fees in case of an infringement suit. Copyrights last as long as the creator is alive plus an additional time afterwards but they are definitely not renewable.
These are another form of intellectual property rights that protect creations from sale, reproduction and use by others in a certain timeline. Three main types of patents are; design, utility and plant. The most common are utility patents that covers any composition of matter, manufactured products, process and how they are used for profitable gain. This means that for anything to be patented it should not be obvious, must be novel and useful. Design patents on the other hand focus on new designs whether ornamental pr intended for manufacture while you get plant patents for any new plant variety through asexual production. Design patents only last 14 years while plant and utility patents extend 20 years. Patent acquisition costs differ drastically and the rigorous process might deter some. To save time and cash, people may hire patent agents and lawyers. You need to check different databases before applying to make sure that the chosen patent is not already in existence.
If you introduce a new product in the market and want to keep competitors away from crucial information, it is wise to acquire trade secrets rights. This is a unique type of intellectual property that does not work by registering. The business or individual has to take steps to protect their trade secret through such things like non-disclosure agreements, restricted access to the secrets, post employment restrictions from revealing secrets. The most common trade secrets are soda formulas and software source codes. Such trade secrets can only be sued within the business and should not be disclosed even after employment.
These are the most common types of intellectual property recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization, UN and European Union. They protect from theft and encourage people to continue producing. Every business or artist should take necessary steps to protect their products and designs to ensure maximum profits. Legal assistance is very important during intellectual property acquisition to help complete necessary steps without ever leaving out necessary information. Copyright might be the most popular type as it covers musicians from piracy and writers from plagiarism. With assurance that their ideas will not be claimed by another, artists can continue producing creative material that will create jobs, educate and eventually grow the economy. Keep track of time so that your patents do not expire and other people start using your ideas.