Get Making Intellectual Property Work For Business - Mtip Mt

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions; literary and artistic works; and symbols, images, names and logos used in commerce. Businesses are often unaware that their business assets include IP rights.

Intellectual Property Law includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. All of these areas are related in that they deal with protecting products of the mind but in other ways they are very different.

5 Steps to Protecting Your Intellectual Property Keep Business Ideas and Trade Secrets a Secret. ... Document Your Concepts and Original Content in Detail. ... Apply for a Trademark. ... Register All Your IP, Trade Secrets, and Creative Works. ... Make the Investment.

10 tips for creating your own intellectual property Create something you believe in: not something you think will sell. ... Be prepared to make sacrifices. ... Be in it for the long haul. ... It's better to work sporadically than burn out. ... Remember: you're only competing with yourself. ... Don't be afraid to share the project.

Copyrights, trade- marks, and service marks may be obtained through tangible expression and/or use, but federal registration of these IP types provides additional protections. Once obtained, intellec- tual property is like any other property; it can be sold, licensed, given away, or even forfeited.

The creator of a work is generally deemed to be its owner. However, intellectual property ownership can be determined differently for different types of property and under varying circumstances. For example, if work is created for an employer, the employer is the owner of that intellectual property.

Your intellectual property includes the intangible assets you create for your business, such as names, designs, and automated processes. And just like tangible possessions — like supplies, equipment, buildings, and inventory — your intellectual property contributes to the value and success of your business.

To obtain a patent in the U.S., the inventor must file a patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which includes (1) a written document comprising a description and claims, (2) drawings when necessary, (3) an oath or declaration, and (4) filing, search, and examination fees.