PROTECT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY : How To Protect Your Precious Invention

Your brand, a product or a new service is the essential asset of your company. With this, you distinguish your company from your competitors, and you determine your position on the market. In addition to material property, your business often also has an intangible value, such as a remarkable invention, its design or a strong brand. We call this the 'intellectual property' of your company, and to protect it, you must take action yourself. Copyright In the artistic sector (music, film, theatre, sculpture, painting), productions are generally protected by copyright. That right automatically applies: no registration is required for this. Patent or License You can apply for a license for important new inventions. Your invention must remain secret until you have filed the patent application. You must submit a file to the USTPO or European government (in Europe) for that application. There are costs associated with applying for a patent, and the form has a limited period of validity. Brand, drawing or model With a brand, you as a company can make precise which products you have put on the market so that customers can make a distinction with the products of your competitors. A brand can take the form of a logo, an abbreviation, a slogan or even a sound fragment. You can register trademarks, which gives you several exclusive rights to the use of your logo. There are three possible procedures for registering a trademark, depending on the area for which you want trademark protection: With a drawing or a model, you protect the appearance of a product. This conce s the characteristics of lines, outlines, colors, shape, texture or materials of the product itself or its decoration. Drawings include all two-dimensional shapes, such as designs and patterns on fabrics and paper. Models include three-dimensional forms of utensils, parts thereof, such as a model of car or shape of a coffee pot. With the Idea scan to protect your idea You have a fantastic idea, and you want to prevent someone else from walking with it? With the answers, you give to the Idea scan you get advice on how you can best protect your idea. Professional advice on intellectual property through the InventHelp portfolio You can also seek the help of professionals from the private market, such as patent atto eys, trademark atto eys, specialized lawyers or IP consultants (IP stands for 'intellectual property'). If you engage such professionals, you can receive subsidies for this. InventHelp supports you with advice and action The InventHelp also informs you about other possible subsidies and fiscal measures in the field of intellectual property, including through information sessions and workshops and its subsidy database.