| copyright | an intellectual property right allowing the holder to prevent copying of a work |
| CTM | Community Trade Mark - a trade mark registration covering the whole of the EU |
| design | the visual appearance of an object, logo or icon |
| design right | sometimes called unregistered design right; an automatically arising right to prevent the copying of certain features of items |
| distinctive | a characteristic of a trade mark needed to obtain registration - distinctiveness may be inherent, or it may arise as the result of prolonged use over a period of time |
| intellectual property | a generic term for a number of different rights,including patents, trade marks, designs and copyright |
| IP/IPR | common abbreviation for intellectual property or intellectual property right |
| monopoly right | a right which allows the owner to stop infringements regardless of whether the infringer copied deliberately |
| original work | a document, drawing, photo, piece of music, etc. which is not itself copied from elsewhere and which can be protected by copyright |
| patent | an intellectual property right giving a monopoly in a technical invention for up to 20 years |
| PCT | Patent Cooperation Treaty - a international system which allows centralised initial processing of a patent application before it is divided into separate countries |
| registered design | an intellectual property right giving a monopoly in a design for up to design 25 years |
| specification | in patents this is a document describing the invention and the protection given by the patent; in trade marks it is a list of the goods/services for which a trade mark is registered |
| trade mark | an intellectual property right giving the holder a monopoly in a sign that serves to distinguish his goods or services from those of other traders |
| work | from copyright - a document, drawing, photo, piece of music, software etc |
IP Glossary
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