What is a patent? Is getting a patent beneficial? These are some common questions that can commence hovering over the mind of inventors when they come up with new inventions and attempt to relate them to patenting. A patent is one of the most exclusive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) granted to an inventor by his country’s government for his unique invention. It empowers the inventor to prevent others from copying, modifying, trading, or importing the invention without his consent. The patent protection continues throughout its lifespan, which is country-specific. In India, the tenure of a patent lasts for 20 years right from the date of filing. It is vital to note that after this duration, anyone can use the invention. The granted patent can bestow the applicant with an umbrella full of benefits.

How is the patent registration in India beneficial?

Patent Law inspires people to come up with more and more ideas as once the patent is granted; the inventor becomes the only owner of his invention. The patent rights being different from other types of Intellectual Property (IP), can be bought, sold, or licensed. As these rights are territorial bound, one country’s patent provides the rights applicable within that nation only. For instance, the patent granted in India gives the owner rights that help in avoiding infringement issues by preventing unauthorized users from importing or using the same ideas within Indian Territory. Apart from inventors, the patent system leads to the growth of the nation’s economy by benefitting the public with affordable services.

After obtaining a patent, the owner can grab a lot of advantages. Let’s go through some of them.

1. Provides exclusive access to all rights even at early filing

The benefits start serving the inventor from the first step of patent registration means the time when he applies for the patent. As soon as the applicant files the Provisional Patent Application, he will get the security and surety that no one else could claim the same invention, exclusively within 12 months. If any other person or company files  a similar Patent Application, the request will get rejected for the filing period.

2. Authorizes complete freedom of reforms

The granted patent entitles the inventors to do anything with their ideas for the valid duration, which is 20 years in India. Within this period, no one can use, sell, or modify the original invention without the owner’s consent. Moreover, the inventor owns all the rights to sue the unauthorized user for using his ideas as such usage leads to patent infringement, which is a criminal offense.

3. Generates ROI (Return on Investment)

If the owner feels that his invention is not offering the expected results, and wants to hand it over to any successful or deserving person, he can easily do so. The patent rights allow him to commercialize the invention while earning a good amount of returns on his investments.

4. Gives a good market status

The patent law permits the inventor to obtain a remarkable public impression and improve his portfolio by disclosing the invention in the public domain. It further aids him in building up his reputation in the market and a good relationship with competitors and consumers. All these factors will ultimately upsurge his profits.

5. Allows public disclosure

Patent rights enable the inventor to go for public disclosure that not just builds his portfolio but also increases the company’s funds, business partners, and market value. Sharing information publicly regarding the invention will demonstrate the good command and specialization of the inventor over the technical subject-matter. It will benefit the owner by attracting high-end and leading investors, business partners, shareholders, and consumers.

Why is getting patent for an invention crucial?

If the owners do not get their invention patented, then others can steal their ideas, and obtain all the above-given advantages. After going through the information provided above, one can conclude that if an inventor tries to get a patent, he should have enough knowledge about various things, like the IP industry, market scenarios, patent laws, and competitors. The inventor needs to move step by step and remember the deadlines, along with constantly keeping tracks of patent legal standards as well as required documents. However, getting a patent appears a bit tough job but earning something in your name for a certain period is worthy. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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In the present highly competitive world, everyone wants to make more and more profit. For this, people sometimes may follow the unlawful path of copying and using others’ work without seeking permission. To avoid such happenings that lead to infringement of their work, owners usually use copyrights. Undoubtedly, the Registered Copyrights facilitate the original creators to prevent unauthorized users from making profits in this manner. However, this way of avoiding infringement issues does not apply to all sorts of things. So if you have written the upcoming hit song, crafted a slogan, or come up with a recipe, ensure whether you can copyright them or not.

Things that can be Copyrighted

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), including copyrights, trademarks, and others are country-specific. Here, we are discussing the rights as per the US Copyright Office, which states that copyrights protect the things that exist in tangible form.

The Copyright Law extends to the protection of the author’s original work, which is in tangible form. The word “Original” signifies that the owner created the work by his intellectual efforts, not by copying it from any existing one. The protection may extend to an explanation, illustration, or description in written form.

In other words, we can say that copyrights cannot protect the idea you shared with anyone verbally. However, if you write down that idea, then it is likely to get copyright protection.

Note that a few things are unable to attain protection by copyrights even if they are in tangible form.

Things that can’t be Copyrighted                                    

1. Ideas, Systems, or Methods

Things like ideas, methods, or systems cannot be copyrighted. Items included in this section are building materials, business operations or processes, mathematical principles, formulas, algorithms, and scientific or technical approaches. Copyright law safeguards the expression of ideas or thoughts, not the ideas themselves. An idea signifies a work that does not exist in tangible form.

2. Commonly Known Information

It includes things that hold no known (original) authorship and thus, considered as common property. For example – statements like “The sky is blue” cannot get copyrighted. It is because no known authorship is associated with such statements. Other examples encompass standard calendars, telephone directories, rulers, tape measures, lists or tables derived from public documents, and height and weight charts.

3. Choreographic Works

Choreographic works, regardless of them being original or not, cannot attain copyright protection unless their creator either videotape or notate them. The same policy applies to speeches, and the owners are unable to get the copyright if they don’t transcribe their speeches before or after giving them.

4. Blank Forms

Copyright protection is not applicable in case of blank forms, including time cards, diaries, graph papers, and address books.

5. Names, Titles, Phrases, or Expressions

Copyrights don’t emphasize protecting the catchy slogans, product descriptions, titles of works, pseudonyms, and names you came up with for representing your business. Ingredients of recipes, formulas, prescriptions, or label also fall under the same category. However, copyrights protect exceptions like cookbooks that provide instructions and explanations.

6. Useful articles

Copyright law does not consider protecting things that have utilitarian functions. For example, clothing, home appliances, and automobiles. However, exceptions such as building design can be copyrighted because it is an artistic expression also.

7. Laws

It includes all those works that fall under the public domain, such as cases, regulations, constitutions, court decisions, and statues.

8. Work by the federal government

The federal US government creates a wide range of works. All these works including memos, rules, reports, and documents, are not permitted to get copyrighted. On the other hand, state governments are liberal to copyright their work.

Bottom Line

Though copyrights facilitate the Intellectual Property (IP) owners to protect their assets, yet it is not prudent to completely rely on these rights as they don’t cover everything. However, the creators do have some other approaches, namely trademarks and patents, to protect those things that are not protected by copyright. So rather than being worried by thinking that copyrights do not apply to the protection of some assets, it is vital to understand what copyrights can or can’t safeguard. Apart from this, you should also have insight into which type of Intellectual Property Rights can be used to protect the product that copyrights cannot. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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