A company came in that specialise in Intellectual property to teach us what you can protect and how you can do so.
Intellectual Property exists due to economic incentives and of course moral rights.
They mentioned a really interesting point and it's that just because you have something in one country doesn't mean its covered internationally. For my brand this is a great point to do research on, as I am looking to sell in Europe, Australia and America as well as have pop up shops in these locations. Therefore the budget for trademarking may need to increase.
To understand how much it will cost and what we need to do because it's different for every business, you look at what needs protecting. Such as, Branding product appearance, copyright, and confidential information.
Once protected what it does is that it allows for enforcement, licensing and the freedom to operate.
All of the below are opportunities for IP
1. Patents
2. Trade marks
3. Registered designs
4, Copyright
5. Licensing clearance searches
6. domain/company name disputes
7. IP strategyIP agreements
8. IP audits
9. IP valuations
10. Litigation and mediation
11. Competitor watching
12. Innovation funding introductions
What you can Trade Mark
1.The name
2. The logo
3. Colour
4. Numerals
5. Shape
6. Slogan
7. Smell
8. Sounds
Knowledge
To protect a trademark that is similar to something it's a lot easier if it has brand recognition. Also once you've filed for a trademark and them it's public knowledge
To file for a trademark this is the process
1.Search
2.Apply
3.Examine
4.Publish
5.Oppose
6.Register
7.Maintain and enforce
Also something to know is that once you have it you have to enforce it.
In terms of if people are creating stuff for you, you have to make sure that you sign a contract for the rights to own it and use it. Otherwise they can say no.
Learning about Copyright
It protects original works
Generally lasts for the lifetime of the Author + 70 years
Can be expensive to enforce
Research the time limit on showing a design and how long you done for for it still to be allowed to register, it's different in every country
Learning about Patents
1. Can protect the technical way of how you made something or the function of a specific thing
2. Can do it if you have solved a technical problem
3. Can do it for the novelty
3 Can use potentially for software but not definitely
4. Can not use for business methods
"Keep technical information secret"
It's good to start thinking about it now because it's good evidence for the future and it increases our advantage over our competitors as well as attracting investors.
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