What is IP?
IP (Intellectual Property) = inventions, designs, brand names, logos, literary, artistic and musical works, and other results of creative activity.
What is IPR?
IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) = patents, registered trade marks, registered designs, copyright and other forms of protection for creative activity.
What does IPR do?
Intellectual Property Rights are valuable assets. They can be used to control competition. They can be franchised or licensed to give a royalty income. They have intrinsic value and they can be sold, by themselves, or as part of a business enterprise.
Look at the LES B&I position paper on the value and importance of IP here
Look at our basic outline of intellectual property here.
The World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has a detailed guide to intellectual property here.
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) provides a range of information here.
Also see the European information site here.
Intellectual Property has a special part to play in the activities and interests of LES members.
Statistics can provide valuable information to assist with policies for technology transfer and licensing. ‘Mapping’ or ‘profiling’ relating to patent filings can be particularly helpful.
The European Patent Office (EPO) provides patent mapping information here.
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) provides an ‘Informatics’ service here.
Filing and registration statistics are available from OHIM (EU trade marks and designs) here
– and from the UKIPO here
– and from the EPO here
– and from the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) here.
On-line searching is widely available. Important web sites include:
UKIPO here
EPO world patent database (Espacenet) here
WIPO world patent search (Patentscope) here
OHIM EU (both community and national) trade mark search (TM View) here
OHIM EU advanced trade mark and design search (eSearch Plus) here.