Different set of Forms for Intellectual Property Protection
Get acquainted with the different Intellectual property protection forms
There is no age in history that has had the highest level of advancements and sharing of knowledge such as this current generation. People are exposed to a lot of information and are therefore, adding onto what is already existing and coming up with new inventions. In order for an individual to claim ownership of a product or service that he or she has developed, then they need to take advantage of the different forms to protect intellectual property and the laws that apply to the same.
This is very important because it gives an individual the
ownership and exclusive rights of whatever he or she creates. These
intellectual property laws are able to protect you from other people
developing similar versions of your inventions, or using your invention
to make money for themselves without your consent.
When
searching for what Intellectual property protection forms your business
or product falls under, you should be aware that there are two
categories of these laws, and these include copyright's protection,
which protect an individual’s artistic intellectual property and
Trademarks and Patents, which protect an individual’s industrial
intellectual property.
When most people hear about these
terms, they always consider it works of scientific inventions, or
internationally acclaimed works of art, however, these include simple
things such as trademarks, business processes, customer lists and so
on. These laws are there to protect you and your business assets from
exploitation.
In order for an individual to protect one's intellectual property rights, he or she can take several steps and
gain a complete understanding of all the methods to protect their
intellectual properties. You can start by defining what your
intellectual
property needs are, followed by a planning your strategy. You will need
to note what category of property rights it is and as well as coming up
with a strategy of how this protection fits in the strategy of your
company. This is not a onetime thing, since a business owner is
supposed to constantly develop ideas and methodologies that ought to be
patented.
The intellectual
property protection forms include;
• Patents: when an individual comes up with an invention, the inventor is supposed to acquire patent rights. A patent excludes other people from using, selling, importing, or even making your invention. This usually runs for a period of about 20 years.
• A trademark: Unlike the above forms of intellectual property, a trademark can be a symbol, a design, a phrase or a word, which will identify the originators of a product from any other. This mark requires constant renewal, although it lasts for as long as it is in use.
Therefore, in order to
maintain the right to your intellectual property, as well as to prevent
competition from taking advantage of you. You must ensure that you
protect the intellectual property of your employees, such that whatever
they develop while in the company, or anything they learn therein, is
part of the company, and they cannot share it with competitors.
You
must register all your property rights, symbols and marks, so that the
law will be in a position to protect you. It is helpful to research on
companies in other parts of the world that deal with your line of
product or service, and identify with the challenges they face, and how
they overcome them.
Finally, you should constantly monitor
your intellectual property rights in order to provide sufficient
documentation and evidence if your rights are challenged. When
companies fail to acquire full protection, it leads to the production
of counterfeit products, and these result in the loss of revenue to the
tune of billions.