across the bar

IP - You've got to name it to claim it

by Steve - Posted 06 April 2006

A lot of entrepeneurs and companies are sitting on invisible goldmines in their businesses in the form of untapped intellectual property assets. But unless you are a lawyer, it is not always easy to identify these assets. Here is a quick list to stimulate the thinking:

Patents    (innovations in products, services, manufacturing methods)

-     registered
-    registerable     

Designs   (aesthetic and functional)

-     product line
-    manufactured items
-    electrical circuits

Trade marks  (business identifiers)

-    registered (national and international)

-    unregistered (common law)

            -    product names and configurations
            -    packaging
            -    advertising slogans, jingles and taglines
            -    icons, logos, graphics
            -    shortened names / nicknames (Woolies)
            -    domain names
            -    0800 numbers

Trade secrets    (Any information that you don't want your competitors to know)

-   customer lists
-   supplier / vendor lists
-   product information / specifications
-   new services
-   recipes
-   formulas
-   unique business methods
-   marketing or sales strategies  

Copyrightable stuff

-    artwork
-   decor
-   photos
-   computer programs
-   databases
-   text
-   manuals (operational, marketing)
-   advertising
-   promotional material
-   trade show / customer presentations
-   web pages   

Since it is easter - happy hunting!