What is Intellectual Property & How To Protect It

Posted on July 24th, 2012 | No Comments

What are the different types of intellectual property?

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, literary and art work, symbols, name/brand, images and design. It is divided into two categories inventions and copyright. Inventions include patents, trademarks, design and art. Copyright would include those of performing artists and broadcasters in their radio and television programs.

Here is an overview from USPTO explaining what each type of patent is used for and what they protect.

4 Ways to Protect Intellectual Property

Patents

Rights provided by patents last for 20 year, and there are 3 types of patents:

• Utility Patents: processes, machines, articles of manufacture, and composition of matter
• Design patents: new, original, and ornamental designs for articles of manufacture.
• Plant patents: for invented or discovered, asexually reproduced plant varieties.

Trademarks

Trademarks are used to protect words, names, symbols, sounds, or colors that distinguish good & services.

Copyrights

Copyrights are used to protect any authored work including writing, music, and tangible works of art.

Trade Secrets

Trade secrets are any pieces of information kept secret for competitive advantage.

Source: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ahrpa/opa/museum/1intell.htm

How can you protect your intellectual property?

In order to protect clients we have many years of experience filing trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Washington Secretary of State.  Jensen Legal can help you with trademarks and also refer you to someone who can help you write a patent. For more resources check out http://jensenlegal.com/intellectual-property/. It is also important to note that filing for any of the protections above doesn’t guarantee your intellectual property will not be used, but it does give you the option to enforce your rights. If you believe your Intellectual Property rights have been violated please contact Kris Jensen for help: 206-617-9173.