IP Word of the Day

The public domain contains works (such as books, films, or paintings) that are not under copyright protection.

Once copyright protection expires, the work becomes available for use without permission from the copyright owner; in other words, the work enters into the so called public domain.

Trade secrets can help protect design and manufacturing processes, cost data, non-public marketing strategies, and customer and supplier lists.

Royalty is a sum of money that is paid to somebody who has written a book, piece of music, etc. each time that it is sold or performed.

Have you ever written a story or a song that was your original creation? Then congratulations – you OWN copyrighted work!

Copyright is a legal right, giving the owner control over their work and how it is used. It gives creators protection against use of their work without permission.

The Munich Oktoberfest is a protected EU trade mark. After years of deliberation, appeals and decisions by all parties involved, the term is now protected in 22 product classes. And includes everything from soap & credit cards to uniform hire and, crucially, tourism advertising

Record label is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Record labels began emerging in the late 1800s when phonographs and phonorecords began to commercialize as technology allowed mass production. The three record companies: the Thomas A. Edison Company, Victor Talking Machine Company, and Columbia Phonograph Company had established themselves as the leaders of the industry by the end of the 19 th century.

Some authors, artists, and creators choose to attach an open form of a copyright license to their work. Essentially, this means they’ve granted advance permission to others to use their creative work in certain ways. The most common type of open license is Creative Commons. The Creative Commons search tool is invaluable for SHARING and finding content you can use legally.

A sound mark consists exclusively of a sound or a combination of sounds. Do you know that Looney Tunes Theme Song is a registrated sound mark?

Counterfeits represent 9.7% of the fashion industry’s sales. Chanel has an entire section of its website dedicated to warning shoppers against counterfeit goods. “Fighting against counterfeit means more than simply protecting our brand image," the French luxury label states. "It also means protecting our creativity, our know-how, and the quality of our products, as well as helping to protect consumers from products that may pose health risks.” 

What does your favourite BRAND have to do with intellectual property? More than you can think ... the famous designer trade marks, the design of your favourite shoes, patents for new breathebale fabrics or innovative fastener - all these are examples of intellectual property.