IP Glossary

an intellectual property right allowing the holder to prevent copying of a work

the visual appearance of an object, logo or icon

sometimes called unregistered design right; an automatically arising right to prevent the copying of certain features of items

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

European Trade Mark – a trade mark registration covering the whole of the EU

a generic term for a number of different rights,including patents, trade marks, designs and copyright

common abbreviation for intellectual property or intellectual property right

a right which allows the owner to stop infringements regardless of whether the infringer copied deliberately

a document, drawing, photo, piece of music, etc. which is not itself copied from elsewhere and which can be protected by copyright

an intellectual property right giving a monopoly in a technical invention for up to 20 years

Patent Cooperation Treaty – a international system which allows centralised initial processing of a patent application before it is divided into separate countries

an intellectual property right giving a monopoly in a design for up to design 25 years

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

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

an intellectual property right available in some countries giving a monopoly in a technical invention, usually a product, and usually for 7-10 years

from copyright – a document, drawing, photo, piece of music, software etc