Bizcoach, Small Business Ideas and Resources for Starting a Small Business
Intellectual Property Rights
Intellectual property is, in itself a confusing term to the average individual, but basically it represents the rights associated with the ownership (property) of the individual or group intellect or rational results (intellectual). In other words, the result of individuals own works such as inventions, literary works, art, designs, systems, and creations also bring with them certain rights to the intellectual property developer.
The protection of those rights form the basis for such commonly known terms as patents, trademarks, and copyrights. In the field of invention, protection for the rights to certain creative endeavors is a critical step in the development of a product or invention's life cycle.
If one was to decide to pursue the commercialization of a new product, the issues of patenting and trademarking become paramount. The first step is usually to do a patent and trademark search to establish that infringement on another individuals intellectual property rights has not occurred in development of your own rights to your product. The next logical step would entail applying for patent or trademark in the territory (country) with which you intend on marketing your product. The most common question asked at this point is whether or not to apply for protection on one's own or seek the assistance of professionals in this field. There are many helpful books by those experts trained in this somewhat complicated art. There is also an extensive list of these individuals in the yellow pages under Patent Attorneys and Agents.
However you decide to deal with the intellectual property rights associated with your innovation, the gathering of information and advice on this subject is recommended. It is all but impossible to go into any detail on this complex issue in this letter although talking to other individuals in the innovation industry and a trip to the public library will certainly yield a wealth of information on the subject.