Intellectual Property
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWYERS EAST LONDON
“I believe in intellectual property. In my view, it’s the foundation of world economies, and certainly the foundation upon which Sun Microsystems was built. Copyright, trademark, patent – I believe in them all.” – Jonathan I. Schwartz, President and COO of Sun Microsystems
Clearly big business believes that intellectual property plays a vital role in this globalised world. Big or small, all businesses and individuals are affected by intellectual property in some way. Every time you read a book, listen to music or walk past an advertisement, you are more than likely encountering an intellectual property right. In fact, all the text and underlying code on this page is protected under copyright, a type of intellectual property right.
Unseen, unheard, but still there
Intellectual property defined from a philosophical viewpoint, is the same as any other property. It is capable of being owned, transferred or leased, and your rights to do so are protected under the law. The difficulty with intellectual property is its lack of visibility. You know that gravity is a law of physics that, simply put, keeps matter together. But, it is not something that you can actually see; the only reason you know it’s there are because of its effects. Intellectual property can be thought of in the same way.
IP rights
Intellectual property covers a vast range of rights. Let’s have a look at a few.
Copyright – works of an artistic or creative nature are automatically protected by copyright for the length of the creator’s lifetime plus, usually, 70 years. Artistic works or creative works includes “pure” art, literature, web copy, computer code, sound recordings…you get the idea.
Trademarks – trademarks protect intellectual property associated with companies, helping them to be recognisable to the public, build up a base of customers and create loyalty. Common examples of trademarks include logos and other images, brands and particular words. You may or may not be surprised to know that particular colours and smells can be protected as trademarks.
Patents – patents are used to protect inventions. The definition of an invention is a good or technical process (e.g. manufacturing) that displays unique technical properties and is applicable to a definable industry. Other intellectual property rights do not come under a patent nor do general ideas, discoveries related to the natural world, medicine or mathematics.
Dangerous games
There is a vast web of intellectual property laws which adds to the complexity of understanding how you are affected. If you do not properly protect yourself, you could find that someone uses your brand name or something closely related to your business, potentially undoing the hard work and marketing efforts you have made to build up your reputation and customer base. Drafting a patent application can take time and can be very technical. If you delay too long, someone else might think of the idea themselves and beat you to it.
Why us?
Our East London intellectual property solicitors have years of experience in the area and strive to help clients understand their position under the law and deliver results. Intellectual property can be a risky and costly game. By providing you with a value for money and thoroughly professional service, you can be assured that the cost of protecting yourself offsets the costs you may incur should you decide not to, and beyond this we strive to add value to your business as much as possible. As our intellectual property solicitors are all based in East London, you will be dealing with experts that understand the business landscape of East London and are therefore able to provide you with a relevant and convenient service.