What is intellectual property?
Example patent drawing from EarClear
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Intellectual property or IP for short is defined as intangible creations of the human intellect; ideas that have value. The most well-known types are copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. When protecting a product design idea, the two common routes for protection are either a registered design or a patent. These both have similarities and key differences that are necessary to know to ensure you have the right protection for your design idea.
Patent
A patent is a form of right granted by the government to an inventor, giving the owner the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering to sell, and importing an invention for a limited period of time, in exchange for the public disclosure of the invention. An invention is a solution to a specific technological problem, which may be a product or a process and generally has to fulfil three main requirements:
It has to be new
Not obvious
And there needs to be an industrial applicability
To enrich the body of knowledge and stimulate innovation, it is an obligation for patent owners to disclose valuable information about their inventions to the public.
Registered Design
A design right protects the visual design of objects that are not purely utilitarian. A registered design consists of the creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or color, or combination of pattern and color in three-dimensional form containing aesthetic value. A registered design can be a two- or three-dimensional pattern used to produce a product.. Generally speaking, it is what makes a product look appealing, and as such, it increases the commercial value of goods.
IP Line Drawings
Used to protect your product ideas, IP and Patent line drawings are an essential component for successful patents and registering design applications. These drawings are essential for patents and registering design we can create precise line drawings ready to be filed by an IP lawyer.
Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA’s)
It can also be useful (and in some cases necessary) to work under an NDA in order to keep your idea safe when talking about it and showing others. An NDA is an agreement that both parties sign promising to not disclose sensitive or confidential information to anyone outside the agreement unless permission is given.
