Protection

In order to ensure that your intellectual property reaches its full commercial potential, you should look at the possibilities for protecting it.

Some intellectual property rights can be protected by registration processes, the most common ones being patents, trade marks, and designs. 

Patents protect new inventions and innovations in particular areas of technology, by protecting the idea or concept embodied in a new product, formulation or process.

Designs protect the visual aspects of a product, that is, those aspects which make the product "appeal to the eye", including the 3D shape or configuation of a product.

Trade marks protect brands in the form of names, logos, colours, slogans, sounds and even smells, as they relate to particular goods and/or services of a trader.

Copyright protects things such as literary and artistic works, music, films, sound recordings and broadcasts, software, blueprints, design drawings, sketches, manuals and multimedia displays.  In most countries copyright does not have to be registered as it automatically exists upon the creation of an original work.

Other forms of registrable intellectual property rights include plant variety rights and domain names.

Protection of other intellectual property rights is available under the common law, for example in relation to unregistered trade marks (passing off) and in relation to trade secrets and confidential information.

To find out which option or options for protection are the most suitable for you, please contact us and we will help you to formulate an effective intellectual property protection strategy which suits your needs and your budget.