Intellectual property rights

• The purpose of IPR


  • The purpose of Intellectual Property Rights are to protect the work or name of a person or from being used by another and passed off as their own.
• Copyright


  • Copyright is used to protect published or printed materials
  • Examples include books, poems, photographs, paintings, song lyrics, music, scripts etc.
• Design Rights


  • Design rights protect the 3D appearance of the design
  • Examples include the shape of the product, the configuration of parts, patterns used on the product etc.
• Patents


  • Patents are granted when a product has a part or feature that is completely different to any other product on the market. The product cannot have been shown in public before the patent is applied for.
  • Examples of products that have been patented include the telephone, Bluetooth technology and the 3D printer.
• Trademarks


  • Having a trademark allows a company to protect the name and identity of their product.
  • Trademarks protect words, slogans, logos, shapes, colours and sounds such as the McDonalds golden arches, the Nike tick and the Apple name and logo
• Confidentiality


  • Confidentiality is used to protect trade secrets. Employees can be asked to sign confidentiality agreements prohibiting them from sharing the protected information with other companies.
  • Things protected by confidentiality could include recipes, formulas, a products technical specifications or designs for a new product.