保護する your ideas

By This Is Money
Updated: 00:00 BST, 22 March 2001

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知識人 所有物／資産／財産 - or your ideas - should be 見解（をとる）d as one of the most important 資産s of your 商売／仕事. Although your ideas might not be as solid as a house or a piece of land they may still have かなりの value.

Many companies depend on 価値のある 知識人 所有物／資産／財産 権利s (IPR) in their 商売／仕事. For some, IPR may be the only 資産 that they own.

It is 必須の to have a basic understanding of the different forms of IPR and the basic 落し穴s associated with them. And after that, you need to know how to find the 権利 専門家 advice to 保護する them.

Types of 知識人 所有物／資産／財産

確かな IP 権利s come into 存在 automatically. Copyright, which 保護するs literary and artistic 作品 (含むing computer programmes) belongs to the author of the work automatically and lasts for the life of the author 加える 70 years.

But other 権利s are not (a)自動的な／(n)自動拳銃. 特許s, which 保護する novel 製品s and 過程s, need to be 適用するd for and are 認めるd for 20 years. The philosophy behind the 特許 system is to 認める a 限られた／立憲的な monopoly in 交流 for 公表，暴露 of the 発明 into the public domain (it would be a pity if you died and took a brilliant idea to the 墓／厳粛／彫る／重大な).

貿易（する） 示すs can be 登録（する）d for a 範囲 of goods and services and cover 示すs and 調印するs which are 有能な of distinguishing one 仲買人's goods or services from those of another. The 好意／親善 in 示すs and other distinguishing features can be 保護するd by a passing off 活動／戦闘 (or 不公平な 競争 活動／戦闘 in most of the 残り／休憩（する） of Europe) to 妨げる someone, say, selling their goods whilst pretending they are yours.

所有物／資産／財産 権利s

Most IPR will belong to the 雇用者 or the originator. A ありふれた 落し穴 is to assume that IPR 起こる／始まるd by outside 顧問s and 請負業者s belongs to the （弁護士の）依頼人. This will 一般に not be the 事例／患者 unless the IPR is 特に 割り当てるd in 令状ing.

You wouldn't be the first person to 結局最後にはーなる 支払う／賃金ing a lot for IPR that you had assumed was yours in the first place. Always 規定する in the 契約 that IPR will be yours.

IPR can be 割り当てるd and licensed. 協定s to do this should 一般に be in 令状ing and such assignment of 特許s and 登録（する）d 貿易（する） 示すs should be 記録，記録的な／記録するd at the 特許 Office or 貿易（する） 示すs Registry as appropriate.

王族 率s va ry but there are 手続きs for settling such 王族s if you and your Licensee are unable to agree. Examples of trademark and 特許 licences can be 見解（をとる）d on the Legalpulse website, www.legalpulse.com.

A ありふれた trick is for a distributor to 登録（する） the 供給者 貿易（する） 示す without 許可. If you are 供給（する）ing a distributor make sure that it is （疑いを）晴らす that the 貿易（する） 示す 権利s 残り／休憩（する） with you.

Is my IPR international?

Whilst there are a 一連の international 条約s that 規制する the 治療 of IPR, most IPR is 保護するd by 国家の systems. There are some supra 国家の systems but do not assume that your 貿易（する） 示す can be 施行するd in フラン if it is only 登録（する）d in the 部隊d Kingdom.

産業 部門s

異なるing IPR is of different value to different 部門s. For the 製薬の 産業, 特許s are the lifeblood. For 消費者 goods and the 小売 部門, 貿易（する） 示すs are the most 価値のある form of IPR - consider the 全世界の value of the Ccoca-Cola 貿易（する） 示す. For ソフトウェア and マスコミ companies, the value lies in 貿易（する） 示すs, 特許s and copyright, as with Microsoft.

Once you understand the different 肉親，親類d of IPR, select your 貿易（する） 示すs with care, 査定する／（税金などを）課す your 科学（工学）技術 for 特許 可能性s and 研究 the market and the databases of 存在するing 登録（する）d IPR before 開始する，打ち上げるing out.

Watch out for domain 指名するs which are 配分するd on a first-come first- served basis, but which will be subservient to 貿易（する） 示す 登録s.

Lawyers who specialise in IPR, 特許 スパイ／執行官s, trademark スパイ／執行官s can all be of 広大な／多数の／重要な help in this endeavour. Above all, make sure you own the 重要な IPR that you think you own.

By Gill Switalski, managing director, Legalpulse.com