IP Patent News

Intellectual property, usually known simply as IP, is defined as

“all inventions of the mind”

and refers to a wide realm of items and concepts, including inventions, works of art and literature, names and symbols, and commercial designs. IP are usually divided up into industrial as well as literary and artistic property. Industrial IP include all forms of patented inventions, trade marks, industrial designs and the like. Copyrighted IP includes all forms of literary works, including novels and non fiction manuscripts, film and theatrical scripts, artistic works (drawings, paintings, sculptures, etc) and musical works of various kinds, including recordings.

Although the term intellectual property goes back more than two hundred years, the term became more prominent with the establishment of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property in 1883, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 1967. The main purpose of the WIPO is to better classify subject matter defined as IP by listing them in the following specific categories:

1. Literary, artistic and scientific works
2. Performances of concert artists, phonograms, and broadcasts
3. Inventions and scientific discoveries of all kinds and in all fields
4. Industrial designs, trademarks, service marks, and commercial names and designations
5. Protection against unfair competition by those seeking to use patented and copyrighted inventions and material without giving due compensation
6. Any and all other rights of intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields

Although rights granted by both patents and copyrights are usually specified, they are not unlimited and are granted for limited periods, as stated in existing patent and copyright legislation. Patents are usually classified with in category of industrial property and cal also include various forms of agricultural inventions and industries including manufactured or natural products such as fruit, flowers, grain products, wines, beers and spirit, as well as animals and animal products.

Inventions are common forms of IP and can consist of agriculture products and techniques as well as industrial products. Patents are considered as the best forms of protection for industrial products, and protect the inventor and developer against persons or entities who seek to exploit a particular product for periods of time lasting as long as 20 years. For an invention or concept to be considered as patentable, it must have certain characteristics such as novelty (it must show some new, inventive step), an inventive step (that can be thought of by average persons) and a subject matter that is actually worthy or being patented ( i.e. defined by national law).

Copyrighted material including those of the literary and music fields, are widely covered under laws covering IP and receive protection for longer periods than patents. A copyright on a musical composition or literary work can be in force long after the original author or composer is dead, which gives protection to their heirs as well.

Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)