Intellectual Property (IP)
What is Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce. These intangible assets are protected by law through patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets.
- Patents safeguard inventions and innovations, granting the creator exclusive rights to their use and distribution for a limited period.
- Copyrights protect original works of authorship, including literary, musical, and artistic creations, by granting creators exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display their work.
- Trademarks are symbols, names, or designs used to distinguish goods or services from competitors, providing legal protection against unauthorized use or imitation.
- Trade secrets encompass confidential information, such as formulas, processes, or customer lists, which offer businesses a competitive advantage and are safeguarded through non-disclosure agreements and other legal measures.
Intellectual property rights play a crucial role in fostering innovation, encouraging creativity, and driving economic growth by incentivising individuals and businesses to invest in research and development while ensuring fair recognition and reward for their contributions.
How we can help you
We can audit your portfolio to tell you which of the patents you are paying for are strong, valuable, or a waste of money. That can save you a lot of money. When we work with you on projects we will advise if any ideas arising are patentable. If they are, we can write strong invention disclosures for you. This saves you money, because your patent attorney has less to do, and you can relax in the knowledge that we will write a disclosure that is future proof - we will invent beyond your initial idea. And the IP is 100% yours of course.