Intellectual Property Lawyer and Protecting Your Creations

An expert Intellectual Property Lawyer would commonly define Intellectual Property (IP) as creations of the mind which includes inventions, artworks, designs, names, symbols and images used in commerce. In a business setting, IP is as good as any tangible asset owned by the company. Through the help of a competent lawyer, these intangible assets can become a major competitive edge over most competitors.

Understanding IP Law in Canada can be daunting for an ordinary business owner. There are 6 laws that cover this area which are, The Patent Act, The Trade-marks Act, The Copyright Act, The Industrial Design Act, The Integrated Circuit Topography Act, and The Plant Breeders Rights Act. It can be quite difficult figure out on your own which is why it is important you have someone who can easily traverse the minute details of these kinds of legislation and help you protect your intellectual assets.

Intellectual Property Lawyer

Why is it important to protect your IP?

Without protection and exclusive rights to all your intellectual assets, any competitor can grab and use them for their own and even claim them. To prevent this, you must immediately protect your IP by utilizing non-disclosure agreements and other similar tools at your disposal. To strengthen that first step, you can either expand your confidentiality agreements, or you can publicly file for intellectual property rights.

What are Intellectual Property Rights?

In Canada, you can secure ownership of your intellectual assets by applying for exclusive rights at CIPO. You can submit different kinds of applications depending on what suits your needs. A patent prevents other parties from making, using or selling your creation. An industrial design protects how your creation looks and how it is set up. A trademark covers the words, sounds or designs that is unique to your product, service or company. Last but not the least, a copyright ensures that you are the only one who has the right to produce and reproduce your creation and any substantial part of it no matter what form it may be.

These kinds of IP rights cover different aspects of your creation and go into so much more detail than what is presented in this article. Only an expert lawyer can guide and assist you through the intricacies of the law and what is applicable in your situation.

But that’s not all…

With all the information we’ve provided, you might be ready to secure your intellectual assets, however, there is a process that you must go through and several point that you must look into before taking that important step. You have to first ascertain if your creation is covered by a patent or an industrial design. Second, you have to check if there is an existing patent or rights for your creation. Third, you have to determine the best strategy to take in securing your assets especially if you want to keep many details of your creation a secret. 

While this can seem like a complicated process to go through, having an Intellectual Property Lawyer by your side through it all will ensure that you are able to secure all the exclusive rights and protections your creation could ever need.