Property Lawyer Etobicoke: What are the Four Types of Intellectual Property Rights?

When a person or a business has an idea that they need to protect from use by other people without their approval, it is always best to seek legal protection of the intellectual property. Intellectual property is a mind creation of a particular person or company. It could be a symbol, an invention, or a name. The following are four categories of intellectual properties a property lawyer Etobicoke can help you secure.

Patents

This is time-limited protection that is normally used to protect discoveries and inventions that are new in the industry, highly useful and non–obvious. Patents come in the form of a composition of matter, article of manufacture, new processes or new machines. If you own a patent for something, everyone else is prohibited under the law from making, selling, or using the product.

Trademarks

Trademarks come in symbols, phrases, or words that separate the source of a service or product from others. The Nike Symbol is a perfect example of a trademark, easily recognizable and identifiable. Trademarks have no expiry and can be held indefinitely. While there is no legal requirement to register a trademark, having a property lawyer Etobicoke register comes with plenty of benefits.

Copyrights

Copyright offers intellectual property protection for original authorship materials. This may include music, pieces of art, literature works, among others. With the advancement in computer technology, you can now copyright computer architecture and software. Copyright protection is automatic; if you create something, you own it.

Trade Secrets

This refers to any private information that gives any business a competitive advantage. These secrets include recipes for certain foods and drinks, software, new inventions, processes and new marketing strategies. If you register for trade secret protection, no one can copy or steal your idea to use or make it their own.

Registering for the above intellectual properties can be overwhelming, which is why you need the services of a property lawyer Etobicoke. With registration, it becomes easier to take legal action against anyone who tries to copy or steal your ideas.