What is Intellectual Property?
From novels, movies, and art to new technology and inventions, intellectual property covers a vast range of original creative works from all industries. It is an area of law that provides creators protection and the means to safeguard their work through a variety of mechanisms, including trademarks, copyrights, and patents. If you are a creator, regardless of the type of work you do, it is important to understand this area of law and how you can use it to your benefit.
Protecting Your Intellectual Property
As mentioned earlier, intellectual property can be protected in three primary ways. The mechanism you use for protecting your work will depend on what you create. For example, if you created a new invention, you would need a patent to protect it.
Understanding trademarks, copyrights, and patents:
- Trademarks: If you just thought up a new catchy name for your business or product, a trademark can protect it, making it easier for your customers to distinguish you from your competitors. Usually, when something is trademarked, it will be marked with the TM symbol. Trademarks are often automatically assumed when a business adopts a mark to distinguish their company and can even use the TM symbol without filing it with the government. To be on the safe side, however, consult with an attorney.
- Copyrights: Copyright law is generally used to protect expressive art, such as movies, music, plays, and poetry. It protects the work by providing the creator or owner exclusive rights to display it, reproduce it, and create other derivative works. Copyright laws also prevent others from financially benefiting from protected works without permission.
- Patents: There are three different kinds of patents in the United States. Each of them is designed to protect inventions from being made and sold by others for a specified timeframe. Plant patents protect varieties of plants that are sexually produced, design patents protect the unique aesthetics of a product or object, and utility patents protect how an invention functions.
Contact an Intellectual Property Attorney at Scaringi Law!
As an entrepreneur or business owner, it is crucial to protect your intellectual property and, at Scaringi Law, we are prepared to do exactly that. You can count on our experienced legal team to ensure your ideas and creative work remains your own. You worked hard to get to where you are now and our team will ensure no one else takes advantage of your creations.
Contact our law firm today at (717) 775-7195 to ask about a free case review.