What is Intellectual Property (IP)?
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is the term for the legal protection of an individual or organisation’s knowledge and expertise. The purpose of IPR is to enable the “inventor” to be protected and seek reward for their endeavours. There are several different types of IP. They are:
Copyright: Automatically protects all recorded material. This includes the written word on paper, tape, electronic form, artistic works, broadcasts, dramatic works, music, broadcasts and typographical arrangements, including computer software.
Registered Design Right: Protects the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture and materials of a product or its ornamentation by registering the design with the Patent Office. This usually applies to aesthetic objects.
Unregistered Design Right: Design right gives you free automatic protection for the internal or external shape or configuration of an original design. Design right allows you to stop anyone from copying the shape or configuration of the product, but does not give you protection for any of the 2-dimensional aspects, for example patterns. This usually
Trade Mark: Registered protection of a logo or product name
Patent: protects new inventions and covers how things work, what they do, how they do it, what they are made of and how they are made. It gives the owner the right to prevent others from making, using, importing or selling the invention without permission.
For a invention to be protected by patent it must:
- be new
- have an inventive step that is not obvious to someone with knowledge and experience in the subject
- be capable of being made or used in some kind of industry
If your invention meets these requirements, you may want to consider applying for a patent.
NISW is available to assist with any questions you may have regarding intellectual property. For further information the UK Intellectual Property Office provide clear guidelines on their website.
www.ipo.gov.uk