{"id":1193,"date":"2022-01-04T04:55:35","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T04:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uk.legalvision.com.au\/?p=1193"},"modified":"2023-02-21T01:31:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T01:31:49","slug":"ip-assets-to-protect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/intellectual-property\/ip-assets-to-protect\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Most Important IP Assets to Protect in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your business almost certainly has a creative output that constitutes your intellectual property<\/a> (IP). Unlike physical property for your business, like machinery or computers, intellectual property is assets that you create with your mind. Whether you or one of your employees has created graphics, designs, website copy or other written works, that is intellectual property. Whatever intellectual property assets your business has, it is vital to understand what protections are available for those assets. This article explains the five key types of intellectual property protection in the UK and how your IP assets can benefit from them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Copyright protects your business\u2019 creative work and the expression of its ideas. This could include written copy in your catalogue or on your website, your product descriptions, as well as images used to market your business.  It can also protect any software or audio\/visual content belonging to your business.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright applies automatically from the date you created the work, so you do not need to engage in any formal registration. The simplest way for a business to show copyright protection is to mark works with the copyright symbol, together with the name of the author and the date  (e.g. \u00a9 LegalVision 2021).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designs<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Design rights protect the shape and appearance of your products. For example, a jewellery or clothing design that is innovative and unique may constitute a design right, as well as a unique packaging design.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both registered and unregistered design rights exist. Much like with copyright, you have an automatic unregistered design right for the <\/span>shape and configuration<\/span><\/i> of any three-dimensional item for 15 years after its creation or 10 years after you first sell the item, whichever comes first. In addition, the <\/span>appearance<\/span><\/i> of a two or three-dimensional product is protected for three years from when it is first made public.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, we highly recommend you seek registered design protection. This will protect your design for up to 25 years. It also makes it more straightforward to take legal action against anyone infringing on your design rights, which means your design has greater protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n Continue reading this article below the form\n <\/i>\n<\/a>\n

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