Intellectual Property (is everywhere!)

Intellectual property may seem like an abstract concept, but walking down any supermarket aisle, you will find yourself confronted with an array of brands, colours, scents and marketing materials. In other words, you are encountering intellectual property. Brand names, marketing slogans, colours (the turquoise of Heinz’s baked beans cans!), and even smells can all be trade marked. Think also of board games – Scrabble, anyone? (that’s trade marked too).

But we also regularly engage with intellectual property in personal and professional contexts. In England and Wales, copyright protection is available automatically to all artistic works that meet certain requirements. Websites, photographs, plays, and even personal items like letters, can all receive protection under copyright as original literary works. This means that they enjoy a range of legal protections, allowing the creator to take action to stop unauthorised use of their work or issue licences to reproduce the work and charge a commission.

In a similar vein, patents can protect new ideas or inventions, from mechanical devices like pencil sharpeners, to processes such as those for treating fabrics.

Stay posted for upcoming articles over the next few weeks where we will further examine the relevance of intellectual property, and regular issues that can arise for individuals and business owners.

Contact our intellectual property team if you need assistance

You can also complete an online enquiry form. One of the Wollens team will contact you as soon as they are available.