The 4 Different Forms of

IP Protection

Intellectual Property

1. Trademarks

2. Patents

3. Copyrights

4. Trade Secrets

1. Trademarks

Definition

• Form of recognition for a company or entity.

• Expresses the origin of a product or item.

• Can be a symbol, design, a name or an expression.

1. Trademarks

Protecting Trademarks

• Losses are associated with associated with violations that happen in a matter of months.

• Businesses must be proactive and catch violators immediately.

• Keep trademarks active by using them regularly.

2. Patents

Definition

• Protect original inventions.

• US now follows first-to-grant system, meaning that whoever applies first receives the patent.

• Gives an entity the right to produce items that use patented knowledge.

2. Patents

Protecting Patents

• Hire a high-quality international translation company for foreign patents.

• Check for prior art.

• Watch out for patent trolls and non-practicing entities.

3. Copyrights

Definition

• Protects written works and artwork.

• Usually last for a finite period of time.

• Requires publishing or date of creation for protection to extend over a work.

• Under the Berne Convention, every original work is protected, whether or not it’s registered.

3. Copyrights

Protecting Copyrights

• Difficult to protect with the internet.

• Litigation is expensive—pick and choose battles.

• Most cases don’t go to court, work it out in settlement.

4. Trade Secrets

Definition • Business information:

formulas, practices, processes, designs, or compilations of information.

• Not accessible to the public or generally known.

• Valid reason to retain in secrecy.

4. Trade Secrets

Protecting Trade Secrets

• Corporate espionage and employee poaching are illegal.

• To protect information, have employees sign non-disclosure or non-compete agreements.

IP Translation

• International patent translation is a vital part to protecting your company’s IP.

• MultiLing has the people, processes, and technology to give your company high quality IP translations.

• Contact MultiLing for a free bid request.