Intellectual Property Basics

Not sure whether you need a patent, trademark or copyright? Our Intellectual Property Basics section has articles that cover this and more.

Recent Stories

Fighting the Good Fight: What's Being Done to Combat Online Theft
Apr 2013

The theft of intellectual property over the Internet is threatening individuals and businesses who produce and distribute IP-protected products and services, destroying jobs and suppressing innovation. Government and intellectual property industries have made it a priority to combat such theft, and have implemented different methods to combat it.

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Developing an IP Strategy
Oct 2012

Protecting your invention, logo or creative work with a patent, trademark or copyright is important. But equally important is creating an IP strategy. Like every good strategy, you need clear direction and a map to navigate the potentially dangerous terrain ahead. Here are 5 solid steps to do just that. more...

Taking Your Trademark Overseas
Mar 2012

With the Internet and globalization making the world smaller, businesses are increasingly expanding overseas—and that means they need to protect their trademarks outside the U.S. Doing business in other countries? See how you can get trademark protection. more...

Appropriating Copyrighted Works: When Is It Legal?
Nov 2011

Painter Darby Bannard once said that “Originality is way overrated. To make, you need to take. All great artists do.” Franklin P. Jones states that “Originality is the art of concealing your source.” And no less than Ernest Hemingway echoed this when he wrote that all modern literature comes from Huckleberry Finn.  So how much new art is truly original, and when does it matter? more...