L8: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

DEFINITION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Intellectual Property refers to works created by inventors, authors and artists. These works are unique and have value in the market place. In our daily lives, we are surrounded by things that are protected by IP. Your school bags, your shoes and even your socks are protected by Intellectual Property rights. Nike, Bata or Adidas, for example, are all protected by a group of legal rights.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW

Intellectual Property laws cover ideas, inventions, literary creations, unique names, business models, industrial processes, computer program codes and more.

INVENTIONS PROTECTED BY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS

As businesses continue to expand globally, business owners must realise the importance of getting professional advice on how to establish and safeguard their intellectual property rights. These include :

• Trademarks

• Service marks

• Trade/company names

• Domain names

• Geographical indications

• Copyrights

• Patents

Example : Protected by property law.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION

There are four types of Intellectual Property protection. They are patents for invention, trademarks for brand identity, designs for product appearance and copyright for material.

• Patents for inventions

• Trademarks for brand identity

• Design for product appearance

• Copyright for material

Patents for inventions

Utility, design or plant patents that protect inventions and improvements to

existing inventions

Trademarks for brand identity

Words, names, symbols, devices and images that represent products, goods or services.

Design for product appearance

Literary and artistic material, music, films, sound recordings and road casts,

including software and multimedia.

Copyright for material

The features of, in particular, the lines, contours, colors, shape, texture or material of the product itself or its ornamentation.