Intellectual Property is a branch of law that hardly taught yet extensively exercised in everyday business transactions. Everything around you has been the subject of IP law whether in the past or in the present. Every soda you buy, every gadget you purchase and every movie or television show you have seen is under IP law.
There are three major branches of IP law: Copyrights, Patents and Trademarks. Each is distinct but can be combined in a single product. I will briefly give a layman’s explanation to each branch.
Copyright
Simply put, this is an expression of an idea in an artistic form. The popular examples are songs, movies, and paintings. The core of copyright is the mode of expression and the fixation in a medium. You can think of song or a great painting but unless it is placed in a medium for people to see or feel, it can not be subject to copyright protection. This is the branch that is the easiest to protect, has no discretion for the government for protection and has the longest period of protection.
Patents
This is an expression of an idea or an improvement of an idea placed or manifested in a useful article. The imperative ingredient in patent is that the idea has to have utility. If the idea has no use whatsoever, then it might fall under copyright. This is the hardest branch of intellectual property to qualify for because it involves discretion upon the government body granting the patents. It is the hardest to obtain but ironically, has the shortest span of protection.
Trademarks
This is an expression of an idea to mark goods or services in trade. It is attaching an identity to a product or service. The ultimate purpose of trademarks is to identify the origin of the product. Trademarks are also subject to government discretion as each one has to be distinct from one another.
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