Intellectual Property Law – Orange County and Los Angeles Legal Services
Intellectual property refers to the specific legal rights which inventors, authors, and other IP property owners may exercise and hold. It does not refer to the intellectual work itself. The laws and exclusive rights, which pertain to intellectual property, are in relation to the particular manner in which information and ideas are manifested or expressed. And these laws are best understood by an expert intellectual property attorney.
Laws designed to deal with intellectual property will protect different forms of subject matter. In specific cases, there will be a degree of overlapping.
The following is an overview of areas that fall under the umbrella of intellectual property:
Books, music, painting, movies, photography, and software are a few examples of creative and artistic works that will grant a copyright holder the sole right to control the adaptation or reproduction creative or artistic works over a specific time period.
A distinctive sign may be used to indicate that certain goods or services come from your business. Valid trademarks may help to distinguish your products and services in the marketplace.
If an invention is new and unique, and falls beyond the realm of the obvious, it might qualify for patent protection. A patent can be given to an individual or group to prevent others from exercising the invention without the approval of the patent owner. The duration period of an issued utility patent is usually 20 years from the date the patent was applied for. A patent attorney is trained in handling patents for inventions.
A design patent protects the ornamental appearance of an invention, not its function or utility. Design patents expire 14 years from the application filing date.
Trade Secrets
In broad terms, a trade secret is intellectual property of a confidential business nature, which gives an enterprise a competitive edge. The subject matter can include, but is not limited to, sales methods, profiles of consumers, methods of distribution, supplier and client lists, and manufacturing processes.
Certain conditions under the law must be met to qualify something as a trade secret.
Contact Vic Lin to learn more about intellectual property law.
