Making intellectual property work for you and your business
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Beginners Guide
It's important to know what intellectual property terms actually mean and cover, and why they're important in a business sense.
What is Intellectual Property?
What's the difference between patents, designs, trade marks and copyright?
Intellectual Property or IP refers to a range of rights protecting intangible property that is the result of creativity such as patents, designs, trade marks or copyright.
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IP gives your business a creative edge and can become a valuable business asset. It is important to be aware of any IP rights that you may own or be entitled to and to take the necessary steps to protect these assets.
A patent is a registered intellectual property right which can protect an invention. A patent provides the inventor(s) or the inventor's successors in title (the applicant or patentee) with the exclusive right to make use or sell the invention for a period of up to 20 years.
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A trade mark may be a brand name, logo, colour, shape, smell or taste. Not to be confused with your company name or domain name, your brand name is what differentiates your goods or services from those of others.
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A design is a novel appearance of a product, for example a particular bottle shape or a piece of furniture. The article may be a manufactured in three-dimensions, although some two dimensional items such as textiles can also be registered as designs.
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Copyright is an intellectual property right which protects the creative efforts of the creator of various types of original (i.e. uncopied) work, including for example an artistic, musical or written work, computer program or drawing.