Intellectual Property Services by CCS

Complete Corporate Services assisting with intellectual property services

Theft or potential theft of the very thing that defines your commercial livelihood: your Intellectual Property

Complete Corporate Services solutions for intellectual property services

• Identify risks both within the business and externally to the security of your IP.
• Strengthen the defenses of your IP against those particular risks.
• Develop a strategy to respond to any immediate or future threats as they arise

What is intellectual property?

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names, and images used in commerce. Intellectual property rights are like any other property right - they allow creators, or owners, of patents, trademarks or copyrighted works to benefit from their own work or investment in a creation.

There are several types of intellectual property:

• Patents: These are exclusive rights granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent gives the inventor the right to decide how - or whether - the invention can be used by others.
• Copyright: This protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed.
• Trademarks: A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises. Trademarks are protected by intellectual property rights. This can be logos, names, symbols, sounds, colors, or any combination of these.
• Trade Secrets: Trade secrets are intellectual property rights on confidential information which may be sold or licensed. The unauthorized acquisition, use or disclosure of such secret information in a manner contrary to honest commercial practices by others is regarded as an unfair practice and a violation of the trade secret protection.
• Industrial Design: This is the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of an article. A design may consist of three-dimensional features, such as the shape or surface of an article, or of two-dimensional features, such as patterns, lines or color.

Intellectual property rights are important because they encourage the creation of a wide variety of intellectual goods. Without protection of ideas, businesses and individuals would not reap the full benefits of their inventions and would focus less on research and development.

What are some ways as a business or individual I can protect my intellectual property in Australia?

To protect your intellectual property (IP) in Australia, you will need to understand the different types of IP rights and how to register them. The Australian Intellectual Property (IP) laws provide protection for some IP rights simply upon creation of the work, while others require a formal process of registration.

Here are the steps you should consider:

• Patents: If you have invented a product or process, you should consider patent protection. Patents in Australia are administered by IP Australia. A standard patent lasts for up to 20 years (or up to 25 for pharmaceutical substances), while an innovation patent lasts up to 8 years.
• Trade Marks: If your business has a unique logo, name, or slogan, you should consider registering it as a trademark. Trademark registration is also handled by IP Australia. Trademark registration in Australia lasts for 10 years and can be renewed indefinitely.
• Designs: If you have a unique design that gives a product a distinctive appearance, you can register it as a design. A design registration lasts for 5 years and can be renewed for a further 5 years.
• Copyright: Copyright protection in Australia is free and automatic upon creation and does not require registration. It generally lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. However, it's important to retain records showing you as the original creator of the work.
• Trade Secrets and Confidential Information: This includes things like customer lists, business strategies, and other confidential information. These are typically protected by non-disclosure agreements and employment contracts.
• Plant Breeder's Rights: If you have developed a new plant variety, you can protect it with plant breeder's rights.

Remember to also consider your IP protection needs overseas. If you want protection in countries outside Australia, you will need to apply for protection under the laws of those countries.

Lastly, seeking professional advice from an IP professional such as Complete Corporate Services can be very helpful in navigating the complexities of IP law.