The Difference Between Trade Secrets And Trademarks
Posted on April 22, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
Some people get confused between trade secrets and trademarks. A trademark is something that is publicly recognized and known as being officially associated with a particular company. In contrast a trade secret can be a much more broad definition and by its very name is not made public.
According to the laws in most states, any device, pattern, formula, idea, or collection of information that gives the owner an advantage in the marketplace and is protected by the owner in a way that shows that it can be reasonably expected to keep their competitors or the public from finding out about it without stealing it is considered a trade secret.
Read More..>>Trademarks - A Quick Introduction
Posted on April 7, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
With the combined advent of the internet/dot-com boom and the prevailing trend of individuals going into business for themselves, the focus and importance surrounding intellectual property has been in the forefront of the minds of entrepreneurs, artists, inventors and anyone wanting to protect the fruits of their labors.
Because intellectual property and the laws therewith can change as rapidly as our ever-increasing technological world, it is imperative that when doing research on these topics to use accredited resources – contact either the appropriate governmental agencies, attorneys or private companies that specialize in these topics.
TRADEMARKS :
Read More..>>Intellectual Property – Trade Mark Infringement – Licensing – Passing Off
Posted on March 28, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
In September 2006, Nike agreed to pay Hackney Council £300,000 for the unlawful use of the Council’s ‘H’ logo. Nike had not obtained Hackney Council’s permission to use the logo. The settlement figure was calculated by taking into account the total global sales of Nike merchandise, and an appropriate percentage was established.
Read More..>>Intellectual Property – The 3 Branches: Copyrights, Patents & Trademarks
Posted on March 27, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
When you hear the phrase intellectual property, what do you think of? How can something that exists in your mind be considered property? Are your ideas your property similar to that of your house or car?
Simply put, no, your ideas are not something you can solely own. After all, if ideas were never shared in the marketplace, where would we be? Imagine if Bill Gates had never shared his ideas about the new BASIC programming language that he and Paul Allen developed…would Microsoft exist? How would that have impacted our world today? Let’s take it back even further: what would life be like if Louis Pasteur had never shared his ideas about heat treatment, what we now call pasteurization? The sharing of ideas has brought us to where we are, good and bad.
Read More..>>Intellectual Property - What It Is
Posted on March 27, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
Intellectual Property (often just called “IP”) is a general term covering patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights, geographical indications and in some countries the concept of “unfair competition”. It is, as the name suggests, the intangible personal property arising from intellectual creation. Since intangible, owner of intellectual property cannot build a fence around it as with real estate or place it in a bank locker as with valuables. To address the situation, governments have created a variety of forms of intellectual property protection.
Types of Intellectual Property Protection
Some of the more common types of intellectual property protection are Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Copyrights and Geographical Indications.
Read More..>>Intellectual Property - Patent Law, Copyrights, And Trademarks
Posted on March 16, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
Patent law is intended to give a temporary monopoly to the inventor to make and sell his invention. The period of the patent is limited but it keeps others from making, using, selling or importing the product. It is a license that can be sold, assigned or transferred. A patent is only good in the country where it is issued so patents must be obtained in all desired countries.
A patent is for a specific length of time. It is usually twenty years. When a patent reaches its expiration date the use of the invention is open to all interested parties. Annual renewal fees are to be paid each year during the term of the patent.
Read More..>>Trademarks: When And How To Search And File Trademark Applications
Posted on March 15, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
1. What is a Trademark?
A trademark can be any word, slogan, design, symbol, or even a color, smell, product configuration or a combination of these, used to identify the source of origin of particular goods and services. The trademark serves as a source identifier of your goods and services, to distinguish it from the goods and services of others. For example, Nike has a registered trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Their mark is used to distinguish their goods and services over other shoe companies. Nike actually owns several trademarks, including design marks as well, such as their swoosh symbol.
Business Intellectual Property Overview
Posted on March 7, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
Service & Trade Marks
Marks are generally an identifier of source and quality. Rights generally accrue under common law upon adoption and use of a mark (name, symbol, logo, trade dress, style of doing business, etc.) in connection with a business. Marks may also be adopted for use in connection with non-profit and organizational activities, e.g., unions and trade associations.
It is generally recommended that a trademark clearance search be performed to determine the availability of a mark prior to its adoption. Typical client charges for such a search and related analysis and opinion is $ 450.
Read More..>>An Introduction To Trademarks
Posted on March 1, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
In marketing, there is a particular strategy known as branding. In many ways, trademarks are designed to protect your brand from use by others.
An Introduction to Trademarks
A trademark is a form of intellectual property. Intellectual property is owned by the person or business creating it. With practically all forms of intellectual property, however, you have to take steps to formally notify the world of your property and protect it.
Read More..>>What Is A Trademark?
Posted on March 1, 2008 - Filed Under Legal and Law | Leave a Comment
At one point or another, we’ve all seen a product or business name with a small, encircled R floating next to it. You’ve probably wondered what this R symbol really means, and how exactly it got there in the first place. Most people will tell you that it means something to the effect of “registered,” but that’s only a small part of the significance behind the circled R.
It’s correct that this symbol does imply the term registered, but registered with whom, and how?
Read More..>> keep looking »