The Tools Allow a
Business to Protect Intellectual Property
Intellectual property
is something you have created. It is not just an idea. It must have a content.
It can be material such as a design or immaterial such as a software.
Intellectual Property
Rights in Vietnam
To protect intellectual property in a business,
different tools can be used depending on your type of creation. There are two
mainly different types of protections: automatic protection and protection you
have to apply for.
1.Two types of
automatic protections : Copyright and Design right
For these both
protections you don’t to do any application or pay any fee. Copyright and
Design right prevent people from using your work without your permission.
Copyright:
Copyright
protection encompasses art, photography, web content, films, music…
To inform that your
idea is protected you can mark your work with the following :
The copyright symbol :
©
Your name
The year of creation
If your country has
signed international agreements, your work can be protected overseas. Usually
the protection lasts around 25 years for photographs and 50 years for the other
types of work.
Design right:
Design right protects
the shape and configuration of your object. To benefit from this right you will
have to prove the date of creation. This protection lasts 10 years once it is
sold and 15 years from its creation.
2. Application for protection : Trade
marks, patents, registered designs
With the following
protections you have the right to take a legal action against someone who uses
your creation or invention without your permission.
Trade marks:
Logos, jingles and
product names can be protected by Trademarks. The
protection lasts 10 years. However it is renewable.
Patents:
A patent is
an effective protection for your invention.
However the process is time-consuming and very expensive. For instance your
invention can be an artistic work, a playing game or a diagnosis. To benefit
from this protection, your invention has to be new.
Registered designs:
By registering your
design you protect its appearance, decoration or shape. The protection lasts up
to 25 years (you have to renew it every 5 years).
At last, to protect
your intellectual property you can also sign an non-disclosure agreement.
In the contract you share confidential information that can include
intellectual property. The second party is not allowed to disclose this
information.
Source: Quora
ANT Lawyers, a law firm with a team of
experienced lawyers, IP consultants and IP services in Vietnam in the field of
Intellectual Property will help customers implement procedures for
registering intellectual property rights in
Vietnam the most effective way.