This webinar was a very helpful detailed insight into how you can protect what you have made and protect your brand and it’s image. Found that the webinar was full of useful information that I will definitely need in the future and have to research further into.
Below are all the notes that i took whilst listening.
- The Intellectual Property is a collection of rights to protect a business
Trade Mark
- A Trade Mark covers – Your name, Logo, Domaine Name, Slogan, Colour Theme, Shapes, Actions, Music
- You cannot register anything offensive and you cannot claim your product is the best
- You cannot use protected emblems
- It is renewable every 10 years
- You can use the website to see what is already protected
- To apply it costs £170
- Think about what classifications you will be protecting as if they are in different classes then you will need to apply twice
Copyright
- It is a difficult area as there is no official register
- Things you can copyright are – Books, Films, Music, Songs, Photographs, Paintings, Manuals, Databases, Dramatic works
- Copyright does not protect single words, titles, facts, work in the public domain
- Copyright lasts until you die and the 70 years from that
- Copyright is owned by the person who created it but this can vary when you work for a business
- A Copyright infringement is when you go against someones copyright. They can charge you for copying there work.
- Exceptions for infringement are – Education, Private Study, Libraries, Research, Incidental Inclusion, Visual Impaired
- There is no official copyright so always keep proof of what you do
Registered Design
- It protects the appearance of a product – there physical shape, configuration, decoration, patterns on fabric
- They do not protects products that have to be a certain shape for there function – a key
- £50 for one design – £70 for 10 designs
- It only lasts 25 years
Unregistered designs
- They last for 15 years but you have to be able to prove that it is yours
Patents
- It protects an invention, how it works, technical function – what they do and how they do it
- Very complicated, long and expensive
- Must be new and novel
- Must be an invention
- Must have a technical affect – function
- They last for 20 years, when they expire they cannot be renewed and becomes property of the public
- If it is environmentally sound you can be fast tracked
- Can take up to 4 years
- Keep it confidential
- Use nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements
- Seek help from an attorney
- Keep your trade secrets secret
useful tips
- respect other people
- check if your brand is already registered
- check you have the correct license
- Check you have the right software license
- Ask before using other peoples software
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