Intellectual property is an important structure that helps to safeguard creative ideas and inventions that have been turned into a commercial enterprise. This covers statutory intellectual property such as patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyrights, geographical indications, topographies of printed circuits and non-statutory aspects including confidential information, trade secrets to name but a few examples. If you have a bright idea that requires protection as an intellectual property then seeking an IP professional is your next course of action. What is the role of an IP professional? A summary is provided below.
The role of an IP professional is someone who can help you regarding your intellectual property rights from start to finish. Essentially, an IP professional can recognize not only intellectual assets but is also able to distinguish between intellectual assets and intellectual property. There are four categories classes as intellectual property and these include patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. An IP professional will be proficient in all these classes and will be able to identify what category a particular intellectual property should be classed as. Once a business has been duly recognized as intellectual property then the next step is to ensure that the right protection is put into place. An IP professional will be able to help with this part of the process as well.
Applying for intellectual property rights involves a lot of red tape and can feel like a minefield, especially if you are going through the process for the first time. The role of an IP professional is to help you through the process so that you go through the right channels, submit the correct information and otherwise make sure that you have everything in place to ensure a successful application. In our day and age owning a business is not without its risks and one way you can safeguard your livelihood is to make absolute certain your intellectual property is not only protected but protected in the right manner so that no one can walk away with your idea in whatever form it may be for their own financial gain. An IP professional can be otherwise known as a Patent Attorney, Patent Agent, Trademark Agent or Trademark Attorney. In the event of a breach of contract, i.e. should an infringement occur against your intellectual property then an IP professional would be the person to advise you on the best possible course of action. Typically these are referred as an IP litigator. This concludes a basic summary of the role of an IP professional.