Please answer the following question completely Explain the

Please answer the following question completely: Explain the level of protection granted to each; for how long and under what circumstances - patents, copyrights, trademarks.

Solution

Below is the level of protection granted to each of the Intellectual Properties -

Patent

There are three types of patents - Utility, Design and Plant.

While the validity of patent rights for Utility and Plant patents is 20 years, it is 14 years for Design patent.

Patent protection needs to be filed within 12 months of the invention. The owner of the patent needs to be determined prior to filing the patent. It can be an individual or in the name of the firm.

Once a patent is filed, fees need to be paid at 3.5, 7.5, 11.5 years to maintain the force of the patent.

Copyright

Copyright is the right to retain the ownership of a literary work, art, music, sculptural, pictorial works etc. from being plagiarized or copied. Under copyright protection, the holder has the absolute rights to modify, distribute, display etc. For a copyright to be filed, the work should be available in a tangible medium of expression.

The validity of copyright lasts for the life of the author plus additional 70 years and is nonrenewable.

Trademark

Trandemark is a word, symbol, logo, phrase or design that distinguishes the source of product or service of a firm from its competitors. It is an important communication symbol for Branding.

Trademarks are expired after 10 years and can be renewed for 10 years.