The term intellectual property (IP) refers to a variety of
different types of legal rights.
It can be quite confusing for business owners to know what IP
rights they have, or what rights they should be seeking.
To make matters worse, terminology is often misused. It
isn't uncommon to read or hear about a company supposedly
"copyrighting" a name or invention.
You might find it helpful to think of these four areas along the
following lines:
- trade marks are elements of
branding;
- patents protect inventions;
- copyright protects original expression;
and
- design law protects the appearance of
products.
Trade Marks – elements of branding
A trade mark is a sign which distinguishes the goods or services
of one trader from those of other traders.
