54.Protect+intellectual+property.

How do you protect intellectual property?

There are some businesses out there than need to protect intellectual property intensly. Song writers and artists need to protect intellectual property every time they do work. Church pastors need to protect intellectual property also or else others could use there exact same sermons and notes. Here are the ways of protecting intellectual property. This research was done for the lawyers at Lawyers.com

Copyrights

Copyrights are forms of intellectual property that protect certain original works. Copyright law gives the author or owner of a work multiple rights. Some examples include: •The right to control reproduction •The right to distribution •The right to adaptation •The right to public performance •The right to public display •The right to translate into other languages or other media

Examples of works covered by copyrights include: •Novels •Plays •Songs •Poems •Computer software •Paintings •Photographs

There are certain works that aren't covered by copyrights. Examples include: •Ideas •Facts •Business names •Book titles

Copyrights arise when the work has been created. No application or registration is necessary. The work may be registered with the US Copyright Office. One reason for choosing to register the work is to enforce it in court. Copyright applications are fairly simple. They only require minimum effort and a modest fee. Copyrights generally last for 70 years after the author's death.

Patents

A patent is an exclusive right to new and useful machines, articles, substances or processes. It gives the inventor the right to stop others from using, making and selling the invention without permission. A violation of this right is called infringement.

Inventors must apply to the federal government to receive a patent. If the patent is granted, the government publishes a full description of the invention and its use. The patent usually lasts for 20 years from the date the application is filed.

Trademarks

A trademark is an identifying mark that distinguishes goods or services. To be a trademark, the mark must be identified in the minds of consumers with a particular source of a good or service. The primary purpose of trademarking is to prevent consumer confusion over the origin of the products. Many things can be considered trademarks, including: •Words •Phrases •Names •Symbols •Logos •Graphic designs •Distinct sounds and smells

By: George Heller and Steven Janezic