What is intellectual property?

Put simply, Intellectual Property (IP) represents the property of your mind or intellect. If you develop a new product, service, process or idea it belongs to you and is therefore your intellectual property. If however, you want to ensure exclusive legal ownership, you must formally register your IP.

Types of IP protection

There are seven types of IP protection available for your idea:

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patents for new or improved products or processes; Read more...
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trade marks for letters, words, phrases, sounds, smells, shapes, logos, pictures, aspects of packaging or a combination of these, to distinguish the goods and services of one trader from those of another; Read more...
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designs for the shape or appearance of manufactured goods; Read more...
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copyright for original material in literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works, films, broadcasts, multimedia and computer programs; Read more...
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circuit layout rights for the three-dimensional configuration of electronic circuits in integrated circuit products or layout designs; Read more...
* plant breeder's rights for new plant varieties; Read more...
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confidentiality/trade secrets including know-how and other confidential or proprietary information. Read more...

TIP: If you want exclusive rights / ownership over a particular name you will need to trademark it. The process of registering a business, company or domain name only provides you with the rights to use that name for a specific period of time.