This document provides an overview of intellectual property rights including definitions, categories, and types. It discusses copyrights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs, and trade secrets. It outlines advantages and disadvantages of different intellectual property types. It also summarizes a case study about a patent dispute between two companies where the court ruled the patent was invalid.
2. Definition
Intellectual property rights are the rights given to
persons over the creations of their minds. They
usually give the creator an exclusive right over
the use of his/her creation for a certain period of
time.
3. Categories
(i) Copyright and rights related to copyright.
The rights of authors of literary and artistic works (such as books
and other writings, musical compositions, paintings, sculpture,
computer programs and films) are protected by copyright, for a
minimum period of 50 years after the death of the author.
Also protected through copyright and related (sometimes referred
to as “neighbouring”) rights are the rights of performers
(e.g. actors, singers and musicians), producers of phonograms
(sound recordings) and broadcasting organizations. The main social
purpose of protection of copyright and related rights is to
encourage and reward creative work.
4. (ii) Industrial property.
Industrial property can usefully be divided into two main areas:
One area can be characterized as the protection of distinctive signs, in
particular trademarks (which distinguish the goods or services of one
undertaking from those of other undertakings) and geographical
indications (which identify a good as originating in a place where a given
characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical
origin).
.
Other types of industrial property are protected primarily to stimulate
innovation, design and the creation of technology. In this category fall
inventions (protected by patents), industrial designs and trade secrets.
The social purpose is to provide protection for the results of investment in
the development of new technology, thus giving the incentive and means to
finance research and development activities.
5. Overview of concepts so far:
Intellectual property (IP) is a legal concept which refers to
creations of the mind for which exclusive rights are
recognized. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted
certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as
musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions;
and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of
intellectual property rights
include copyright, trademarks, patents,industrial design
rights, trade dress, and in some jurisdictions trade secrets.
6. Patents
A patent grants an inventor exclusive rights to make, use, sell, and
import an invention for a limited period of time, in exchange for
the public disclosure of the invention. An invention is a solution to
a specific technological problem, which may be a product or a
process.
7. Copyright
A copyright gives the creator of an original work exclusive
rights to it, usually for a limited time. Copyright may apply to a
wide range of creative, intellectual, or artistic forms, or
"works“.Copyright does not cover ideas and information
themselves, only the form or manner in which they are expressed.
8. Industrial design right
An industrial design right protects the visual design of objects that
are not purely utilitarian. An industrial design consists of the
creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or
color, or combination of pattern and color in three dimensional
form containing aesthetic value. An industrial design can be a twoor three-dimensional pattern used to produce a product, industrial
commodity or handicraft.
9. Trademarks
A trademark is a recognizable sign, design or expression which
identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others.[
TRADE DRESS
Trade dress is a legal term of art that generally refers to characteristics of the
visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a
building) that signify the source of the product to consumers.
TRADE SECRETS
A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or
compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably
ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over
competitors or customers.
10. OBJECTIVES
The stated objective of most intellectual property law (with the
exception of trademarks) is to "Promote progress.By exchanging
limited exclusive rights for disclosure of inventions and creative
works, society and the patentee/copyright owner mutually
benefit, and an incentive is created for inventors and authors to
create and disclose their work. Some commentators have noted
that the objective of intellectual property legislators and those
who support its implementation appears to be "absolute
protection."
11. Financial incentives
These exclusive rights allow owners of intellectual
property to benefit from the property they have created,
providing a financial incentive for the creation of an
investment in intellectual property, and, in case of
patents, pay associated research and development costs.[
12. Economic growth
The WIPO treaty and several related international agreements are premised on
the notion that the protection of intellectual property rights are essential to
maintaining economic growth. TheWIPO Intellectual Property Handbook gives two
reasons for intellectual property laws:
One is to give statutory expression to the moral and economic rights of
creators in their creations and the rights of the public in access to those
creations. The second is to promote, as a deliberate act of Government policy,
creativity and the dissemination and application of its results and to encourage
fair trading which would contribute to economic and social development
13. Morality
According to Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, "everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and
material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic
production of which he is the author".[32] Although the
relationship between intellectual property and human rights is a
complex one,[33] there are moral arguments for intellectual
property.
14.
Advantages and disadvantages
Trade Mark
Advantage:
Legally prevents others taking advantage of customer good will
generated by your business by trading under your name (or
something very similar)
Disadvantages:
Having a registered trade mark does not entitle you to the
related internet domain names. The degree to which similar
(not identical) trademarks infringe upon your business is a
matter for debate in civil action with related cost.
15. Copyrights:
Comes into effect immediately something that can be protected is created
and ‘fixed’ insomeway e.g. on paper, on film, via sound recording, as an
electronic record on the internet, etc
Advantages:
No official registration required. Comes into effect immediately. No cost to
marking something as copyright
Disadvantages:
Does not protect ideas, only the way in which the idea is expressed To be
effective it must be enforced.You have responsibility for legally asserting
copyright if you feel it is infringed. Involves legal costs and proving
infringement.
16. Patent:
Granted by a government, a patent is the right for a limited period to stop
others making, using or selling an invention without permission.
Advantages:
A patent gives the legal right to stop others using your invention. Its
existence may be enough to deter competitors Buys time (20 years) in which
an inventor can develop a market to the product or process
Attractive to investors as it limits competition.
17. Disadvantages:
Takes time and money to establish a patent. All patents have to be ‘researched’
to ensure there are no existing patents of a similar nature – involves legal fees
Not possible to guarantee that a patent
(once granted) is valid, it can be legally challenged and revoked with no
refunds It is still up to the inventor to protect a patent if they can identify an
infringement – the patent office don’t take sides
Granting a patent is no indication that the invention has any merit or
commercial value Some products and process can be varied slightly to get
around the exact wording of Patents.
18. Industrial Design:
Monopoly right for the appearance of the whole or a part of a product resulting
from the features lines, colours, shape, texture or materials used. Cannot be the
same as any design already available and must have ‘individual characters.
Advantages:
Can be combined with legal protection from copy right and design rights
Protect genuine design innovation for up to 25 year.
Disadvantages:
Cannot be applied to designs that concern how a product works or which are
not visible in normal use – ascetics only Easily subverted by slight amendments
to the basic design
19. CASE STUDY : Biswanath Prasad
Radhey SHYam v HIndUSTAN METAL
INDUSTRY
• Plaintiff has brass and German silver business
• Defendant has Dishes and Utensils
• Plantiff invented a safer version of utensils and got it patented
• Defnendant used the same device without permission
• Plantiff filed a case and asked for permanent injuction
• Court held the invention as merely an application of the older
version
• It was not a novel invention
• Enough evidence was not provided to make it unique from the
previous version
• So the patent was made invalid and then liable to revoke