Focus on Intellectual Property

A vocabulary-focused review of key IP terms covered in the lecture, including IP types, registration, enforcement, and international conventions.

Intellectual Property

A set of legal rights protecting creations of the mind, including industrial property and copyright, to reward creators and promote innovation.

Industrial Property

A subset of IP covering trademarks, geographical indications, designs, patents, utility models, topographies of semiconductors, know‑how, and related rights.

Copyright

Rights protecting original literary, musical, artistic works, software and databases; protects expression, not ideas; duration typically author’s life plus 70 years; arises automatically.

Patent

A right protecting technical inventions; lasts about 20 years from filing; requires novelty, non-obviousness and industrial applicability; protects ideas reduced to practice.

Utility Model

Protection for new shapes or configurations that increase efficiency or ease of use; generally shorter term and easier to obtain than a patent.

Trademark

A distinguishing sign or set of signs that identifies goods or services and protects goodwill; can be words, logos, shapes, colors, or combinations.

Collective Mark

A trademark owned by an association or public body used to distinguish the goods/services of its members; governed by Rules of Use.

Certification Mark

A mark used to certify origin, quality, or characteristics of goods/services, typically under third‑party standards.

Well-Known Mark

A mark with strong reputation that enjoys enhanced protection against misuse and dilution.

Denominative Mark

A word mark consisting only of textual elements; protects the wording rather than its appearance.

Figurative Mark

A mark that includes logos or graphics; protects both the word and its graphical appearance.

Colour Mark

A trademark consisting of a single color or color combination; must be graphically representable and distinctive.

Three‑Dimensional Mark

A mark based on the product’s shape or packaging; registrable if it has distinctive character beyond its functional shape.

Distinctive Character

The essential quality of a mark to distinguish goods/services from those of others; required for registration.

Novelty

A requirement that a sign or invention is new and not identical or similar to prior signs/arts that would cause confusion.

Non‑Obviousness

A patent standard (inventive step) requiring that an invention not be obvious to a skilled person in the field.

Descriptive Sign

A sign that describes a product or service; generally lacks sufficient distinctive character for registration.

Secondary Meaning

Descriptive marks can acquire distinctiveness through use over time, becoming an identifier of source.

Coats of Arms

Under some regimes, coats of arms cannot be registered as trade marks for public-interest reasons.

Portraits and Names

Names and portraits may be registered as marks only with consent and careful balancing of rights.

Counterfeiting

Infringing a protected trademark by producing or distributing counterfeit goods.

Piracy

Unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted works, including online piracy.

DMCA

U.S. law providing notice‑and‑takedown procedures to combat online copyright infringement.

Content ID

YouTube tool that matches uploaded content against a database to identify copyrighted material for possible action.

Rights Manager

YouTube tool for rights holders to manage, monetize, or block their content and create whitelists.

Article 17 ISP Liability

EU provision that online content sharing services storing user‑uploaded content may be liable for infringement unless they obtain licenses or meet conditions.

Focus Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market

EU directive (2019) updating copyright rules for the digital single market, with transposition timelines for member states.

Paris Convention

International treaty protecting industrial property (patents, trademarks) with priority rights.

Berne Convention

International treaty protecting literary and artistic works; protection arises automatically without formal registration.

TRIPS

Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights; sets minimum standards for IP protection and enforcement.

PCT

Patent Cooperation Treaty; framework to file international patent applications and enter national phases.

WIPO

World Intellectual Property Organization; administers international IP treaties and coordinates IP policy.

Object of Registration (Art. 7 IPC)

Signs capable of graphical representation that distinguish goods/services may be registered; non‑exhaustive list.

Priority Searches

Pre‑filing searches to assess availability and likelihood of confusion with earlier marks across territories.