Protecting intellectual property
Your ideas, designs and even your brand names or logos are examples of your businesses intellectual property. They can be valuable business assets and you'll need to protect them from your competitors. Copyright, registering a trade mark, or filing a patent are three ways to do this. This is an introduction to protecting your intellectual property.
Learn to protect the 'creations of the mind', otherwise known as intellectual property. Take a look at what qualifies as intellectual property, and your rights as the owner or creator of this business asset.
This information is brought to you by Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand
Why is it important that you protect your intellectual property? Look after your trade marks, patents and copyrights by keeping up to date on: how to protect intellectual property, the management issues around intellectual property, and how to avoid conflict with another person’s IP rights.
This information is brought to you by Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand
Copyright is an automatic right that applies to original works like drawings, music, and film. You don’t need to register for it, but it’s important to understand what qualifies for copyright protection and what your rights are as the copyright owner. Read this article to find out more.
This information is brought to you by Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand
A carefully selected and well managed trade mark can become a valuable business asset. Learn what qualifies as a trade mark and how a registered trade mark can benefit your brand.
This information is brought to you by Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand
Your trade mark won’t be protected unless it is being used properly. Here are some ideas on how to ensure you are using your trade mark properly, and keeping your trade mark distinctive. (PDF, 2 pages, 565KB.)
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If you believe your intellectual property rights have been infringed there are steps you need to take to have the situation settled. It is important to act quickly and to be organised. Learn how you need to properly document the misuse of your trade mark. (PDF, 2 pages, 560KB.)
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Do you have an invention you’d like to protect? A patent gives you exclusive use of your invention for up to 20 years, and can become a valuable business asset. Discover what can be patented and find out how to register and maintain this type of intellectual property.
This information is brought to you by Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand
A New Zealand patent offers you no protection outside of the country. In order to maintain patent protection overseas you have two options: overseas patent application, or Patent Cooperation Treaty application. Read more to explore these options and get some advice on how to start either of the processes. (PDF, 5 pages, 757KB.)
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Do you know your rights where your patent is concerned? If you find a similar product being sold in the New Zealand market you need to know what you can and cannot do. This article provides an overview of when taking action is appropriate and what action you can take to protect your intellectual property rights.
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A registered design can help protect your ideas and creations in New Zealand and overseas. Find out what qualifies for a design registration and how your business can benefit from it. This article also outlines the differences between a registered design and patent protection.
This information is brought to you by Intellectual Property Offie of New Zealand
This free online training module will give you a clearer idea of what intellectual property is and what’s involved in protecting it, plus a discussion of whether you should take the necessary steps. Failure to protect your intellectual property can lead to theft of your ideas and products, diminish your revenues, and make you less competitive in the international marketplace. It is designed to take 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
This information is brought to you by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Theft or infringement of intellectual property (IP) such as patents, designs and trade marks is increasingly common in the global marketplace. But there are ways you can insure your IP and protect your business against any financial loss you face if this happens to you. Download this informative guide to IP insurance and protecting your valuable IP assets from theft.
This information is brought to you by SMEI New Zealand
Here's some useful advice for businesses about the steps they should take to protect their internet domain names. They're business assets too! It is good practice to manage your domain names by setting a policy, registering your domain name officially, understanding your obligations to domain name maintenance, and how to handle the security of this intellectual property.
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Using a personal name to brand a product can be a very effective marketing tool. It allows the individual to become the face and personality of the brand, but the implications of branding this way are not always positive. This article glimpses into the world of fashion design where name brands are common, but not always with positive results.
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