Austin Business Lawyer

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property is a legal term used to describe property rights over any idea, process, or other “creations of the mind” that belong to the originator of these conceptions. Examples of intellectual property include patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets.

Patents

A patent is a right that the government grants to you, allowing the exclusion of anyone else from making, manufacturing, or selling your product. Patents have a time limit imposed on them, after which they expire and others are legally able to reproduce the original product.

Copyrights

Copyrights control who is eligible to copy a work, typically some sort of literary work, including books, magazines, articles, music, scripts, artwork, or choreography. Like patents, these exclusive rights are granted for a certain period of time only, after which the work is up for public reproduction.

Trademarks

Trademarks include anything from brand names, slogans, or logos to coined phrases or certain words that distinguish the goods that the company has produced. Trademarks do not have to be federally registered to legally be the intellectual property of the originator.

Trade Secrets

Trade secrets are formulas, designs, or practices that companies use and keep out of the public domain. People opt to keep these items as trade secrets in order to maintain their presence outside of the realm of public knowledge for an unspecified period of time. With patents, the items become publicly accessible after the expiration date.

Contact Us

For more information on intellectual property, please contact Austin business lawyer Slater, Kennon, & Jameson, LLP today at 512-472-2431.