I've lost count of the number of times that I've heard
the following: "I would like to patent my company's
logo;" or "Our software code is trademarked;" or
"We need to copyright our new medical device."
Many people are unable to distinguish between the various forms
of intellectual property (IP). Even the media can get it
wrong, as the following two stories reveal: Lamborghini Patents Urus Name Ahead Of December
Reveal and Huawei patents the Mate 20 name.
IP can be thought of as legal protection for creations of the
mind, and owners of such creations are granted certain exclusive
rights under the law – if they take the appropriate steps to
protect that property.
Generally, intellectual property falls into four main categories
– patents, trademarks,
copyrights and trade secrets. Other forms of IP exist,
such as trade dress, integrated circuit topographies (mask works),
domain names, unfair competition, and publicity rights. Most IP
rights are country- or
