INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
"The Japanese stole my stuff! They just drove down the road, passed our factory, and copied our trademark. It took us two and a half years and $5000.00 to get it back," said one executive. Because this company had the trademark registered, no one else in the United States could use it, and the litigation against the guilty Japanese firm was considerably easier than had it not been properly registered.
Intellectual property is a general term that describes inventions or other discoveries that have been registered with government authorities for the sale or use by their owner. Such terms as patent, trademark, copyright, or unfair competition fall into the category of intellectual property.
You can obtain information about Patents and Trademarks from the United States Patent Office by calling (703) 557-HELP or writing
PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE Division of Patents and Trademarks Washington, DC 20231
You can order the booklet entitled General Information on Patents from the Government Printing Office. Table 3-1 is a summary of the basic elements of intellectual rights in the United States.
You should recognize that registration in the United States does not protect your product in a foreign country. In general, protection in one country does not constitute protection in another country. The rule of thumb is to apply for, and register, all intellectual property rights in each country where you intend to do business. Registration can be expensive; therefore, several multilateral organizations have been formed that make it possible to make applications covering all member countries.
Patent Registration
1. The European Patent Convention (16 European-area
2 The Community Patent Convention (9 EEC countries^ 3'. The Patent Cooperation Treaty, which gives by far the
3.The Patent Cooperation Treaty,Which gives by far the greatest international coverage (more than 25 signature countries, including the U.S.S.R.).
<em>SUCCESS STORY—PROPERTY RIGHTS: Dolly Doyle, uA her sixties, decided that she was too young to retire. She started a business exporting her special peanut butter to Australia, a country where she often vacations, and has made many friends and business contacts. One of the first things she did was register her trade mark, "Gone Troppo," in the United States and Australia. From her investment came a lucrative business that allows Dolly to travel down under several times a year.</em>
Trademark Registration
This procedure is less costly and time consuming than patents.
1. The International Convention for the Protection of In-
dustrial Property, better known as the Paris Union, is
90 years old. It covers patents as well as trademarks.
Under this convention, a firm receives 6 month's of
protection, during which time you can register the
trademark in the other member countries.
2. The Madrid Arrangement for International Registra-
tion of Trademarks has 22 members, but it offers the
advantage that registration in one country qualifies as
registration in all other member countries.
"The Japanese stole my stuff! They just drove down the road, passed our factory, and copied our trademark. It took us two and a half years and $5000.00 to get it back," said one executive. Because this company had the trademark registered, no one else in the United States could use it, and the litigation against the guilty Japanese firm was considerably easier than had it not been properly registered.
Intellectual property is a general term that describes inventions or other discoveries that have been registered with government authorities for the sale or use by their owner. Such terms as patent, trademark, copyright, or unfair competition fall into the category of intellectual property.
You can obtain information about Patents and Trademarks from the United States Patent Office by calling (703) 557-HELP or writing
PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE Division of Patents and Trademarks Washington, DC 20231
You can order the booklet entitled General Information on Patents from the Government Printing Office. Table 3-1 is a summary of the basic elements of intellectual rights in the United States.
You should recognize that registration in the United States does not protect your product in a foreign country. In general, protection in one country does not constitute protection in another country. The rule of thumb is to apply for, and register, all intellectual property rights in each country where you intend to do business. Registration can be expensive; therefore, several multilateral organizations have been formed that make it possible to make applications covering all member countries.
Patent Registration
1. The European Patent Convention (16 European-area
2 The Community Patent Convention (9 EEC countries^ 3'. The Patent Cooperation Treaty, which gives by far the
3.The Patent Cooperation Treaty,Which gives by far the greatest international coverage (more than 25 signature countries, including the U.S.S.R.).
<em>SUCCESS STORY—PROPERTY RIGHTS: Dolly Doyle, uA her sixties, decided that she was too young to retire. She started a business exporting her special peanut butter to Australia, a country where she often vacations, and has made many friends and business contacts. One of the first things she did was register her trade mark, "Gone Troppo," in the United States and Australia. From her investment came a lucrative business that allows Dolly to travel down under several times a year.</em>
Trademark Registration
This procedure is less costly and time consuming than patents.
1. The International Convention for the Protection of In-
dustrial Property, better known as the Paris Union, is
90 years old. It covers patents as well as trademarks.
Under this convention, a firm receives 6 month's of
protection, during which time you can register the
trademark in the other member countries.
2. The Madrid Arrangement for International Registra-
tion of Trademarks has 22 members, but it offers the
advantage that registration in one country qualifies as
registration in all other member countries.
Comments
Post a Comment