Intellectual property is a class of property emanating primarily from the activities of the human intellect. Any property, movable or immovable, is legally protected to prevent it from being trespassed or stolen. Similarly, the rights in an intellectual property created need to be protected from commercial cannibalism / infringement. The legal rights accrued on the intellectual property created are termed Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). We have provided information of five kinds of Intellectual property dealt by us.
The Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in the agreement of World Trade Organisation (WTO) recognizes seven forms of IPR, namely Patents, designs, trademarks / service marks, copyrights, geographical indications, integrated circuits and trade secrets.
Patents are legal rights / monopoly granted for a limited time for Inventions employing scientific and technical knowledge. They are rights, which promote disclosure and prevent imitation or copying. A patent obtained in one country is not enforceable in any other country unless patent is granted in that country. It can be licensed or sold. J and J IP Management provides best quality services for patent registration in India
Through Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), an inventor of a member country (contracting state) of PCT can simultaneously ensure priority for his or her invention in all or any of the member countries, without having to file separate application in countries of interest, by designating them in the PCT application. India joined the PCT on December 7 , 1998. Examples for patents: A new drug for the treatment of certain disease and a centrifugal pump of fractional horse power. A patent is granted for a period of 20 years.
Industrial design is an idea or conception as to the features of shape, configuration, pattern, ornament or composition of lines or colours applied to any article, two or three-dimensional or both, by any industrial process or means which in the finished article appeal to and are judged solely by the eye or product. First to file principle is applicable here. Designs as applied to containers, shoes, mobile phones, bottles, mats, chairs are examples. Registered design is valid for 10 years and is extendible by 5 years.
A trademark is a distinctive word, phrase, logo, internet domain name, graphic symbol, slogan or label that is used to identify the source of a product and to distinguish manufacturers or merchants products from others. National or international trademark registration is a legal title to intellectual property in much the same way as a deed is title to a piece of real estate. It can be licensed, sold or even mortgaged. The value of your brand name could depend upon your company’s total value and the popularity, goodwill and reputation gained over a period of time. Brand value of TATA is pegged at around Rs.150 thousand Crores. The period of registration of a trademark is ten years and can be renewed every ten years.Nike for sport apparel, Kodak for cameras, Coca Cola for soft drinks are examples.
A service mark is a distinctive word, phrase, logo, graphic symbol or other device that is used to identify the source of a service and to distinguish one service provider’s service and events from that of others. It can be licensed, sold or even mortgaged. The period of registration of a trademark is ten years and can be renewed every ten years. amazon.com(retail website), Standard Chartered (Banking & Finance), Olympic Games multi-coloured interlocking circles(sporting event) are examples.
A copyright is basically the right to copy and make use of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, cinematographic films, software, records and broadcasts. Copyright registration protects the works from piracy and infringement. Copyright is granted for a minimum period of 60 years and maximum period of Lifetime and 60 years from the beginning of the calendar year following the year in which the author dies. In case of joint authorship, the author who dies last will be considered. Film scripts, Novels, Software programs, Maps and technical drawings, Photographic works are examples
No exclusive registration exits but the matter would be generally covered under the Contract Act, 1872. These are information which are not readily accessible to or generally known to public. It has commercial value because it is a secret by persons lawfully in control of the information. Recipe of Coca Cola is a trade secret.
These are indications that identify goods as originating in the territory of a country, a region or a locality in that territory, where a specific quality, reputation or other characteristic of the goods is essentially attributed to their geographical origin. However, there is a prohibition of assignment of geographical indications and prohibition of registration of geographical indications as trademarks. Darjeeling tea, Kanchipuram Sari, Aranmula Kannadi are examples.
