Patents,
Trade Marks, Copyright, Designs, Trade Secrets and Utility
Patents.
These give the owner the legal right to prevent others
from making unauthorised use of their property for
a limited period. a patent is an exclusive (monopoly) right
awarded to an inventor to prevent others from making,
selling, distributing, importing or using their invention
without licence or authorization for a fixed period
of time (usually 20 years).
these are similar to patents and
are available in some countries. They confer protection
for shorter periods of between three to five years
for small or incremental innovations.
trademarks
provide exclusive rights to use distinctive signs such
as symbols, colours, letters,
shapes or names to identify the producer of a product
and protect its reputation. The main purpose is to
prevent customers from being misled or deceived. The
period of the trademark can be extended usually for
an indefinite period.
trade secrets are commercially valuable
information about production methods, business plans,
clientale, formulae etc, They are protected as long
as they remain secret and are protected by law. The
licensing of trade secrets is frequently an immensely
valuable adjunct to the licensing or sale of other
IPR such as patents.
copyright grants exclusive rights to the
creators of original literary, scientific and artistic
works, including computer programmes. Copyright only
prevents copying, not independent creation. It lasts
generally for life of the author plus seventy years.
It prevents unauthorized reproduction, public performance,
recording, broadcasting, translation or adaptation. |
