If you are one of those marketing in the online world, IPR Rights has to have more than just a mere bit of importance to you. Intellectual Property or IPR, is one of the greatest assets a person or business may have. Understanding what IPR is may be the best way to learn how you can properly protect it. Every idea, concept or product created, that is original and has never been used before is IPR. Even though you have thought of it first, that does not mean that others are not capable of thinking as well. This is why it is important to protect your IPR.
Know your IPR Rights
Knowing your right is the first step in successfully protecting your IPR. There are various methods that can be taken to do so. Depending on your creation, you can find various methods to protect your IPR from theft or abusive usage by other parties.
- Patents
The concept of patent has been created to protect inventions, such as products, computer software, business programs, development and manufacturing methods. - Registered Designs
These protect the general appearance of a product, and not the function (for example bottled water – there are many types, but each manufacturer has its own design that separates and gives identity to his product). - Trademarks
Have been created to protect logo ideas, product and business names. - Copyright
Copyright protects the use of words or imagery option, not the actual idea or scenery photographed.
Keep It A Secret
Even if you have developed a great concept or product, don’t start bragging about it as soon as you know it works. Keep it for yourself and make everyone that has helped you develop it sign a non-disclosure agreement, until you have your patent agreed for. A simple discussion about your product idea to other people, who may have knowledge in your domain, can cause you to lose your IPR, if they file for a patent faster than you.
Get Professional Help
When filing for any type of legal IPR protection you must always ask the advice of a lawyer. Even though you may consider yourself great with words and the only person who best knows your own product, form filling, and requesting protection for your IPR can be tricky, and synonyms, even if they seem to have the exact same meaning to you, when it comes to legal disputes, they can be the cause of many problems. This is why it is of the utmost importance to have guidance from an attorney when filing for a patent.
Check The Market
Do a proper research to find out if your idea has been already discovered by people from other continents. For example, patents approved in the United Stated of America cannot be protected from European development. If you dispose of the necessary amount of money you can file for a patent all around the world.
Revise Your Work
Keep in mind that every patent expires in 20 years, except for trademarks. This is why you must improve your idea or product, and fill in a new IPR protection form in order for your IPR to be safe.
Last, but no least, remember what you have initially created your concept for. Whether it is for sale, manufacturing or increasing your business’s value, you must always remember this and do anything in your power to protect it and gain satisfaction from, financial or not. Yes, you still have the right to be recognized for your creation.