29 April 2016
 Categories: Law, Blog

Intellectual property is a pretty complicated topic, but it has a huge impact on most people, even if they don't know it. Not only does intellectual property cover every company that you have dealt with, but it also affects most inventions that you use and brands that you recognize. If you are planning on creating anything of your own, whether it's a business or an invention, you will need to use some form of intellectual copyright. To help you get a better understanding of how intellectual property actually works, here is an overview of copyrights and patents:

What material does a copyright cover?

A copyright protects expressive creative works from being reproduced or sold without the consent of the copyright holder. This means that you can protect any work that you have created, whether it's a book, movie, or piece of art. As long as you apply for a copyright and have it granted, you will be able to take legal action against other parties that seek to financially benefit from your work.

What material does a patent cover?

At the other end of the spectrum, you have patents, which cover inventions. If you design some new piece of technology or a revolutionary new process, a patent can ensure that you benefit from that creation. In many cases, government seeks to protect patent holders, since the idea is that such protection will foster innovation and technological progress.

How long does each option last?

• For design patents (patents that cover physical appearances), your invention is protected for 14 years. This starts counting from the date that your patent is actually granted.

• For utility patents (patents that cover functionality), your invention will be protected for 20 years. This starts counting from the date that you file for the patent, rather than the date that the patent is officially granted.

• Copyrights last 70 years after the author dies. However, copyrights in the past lasted longer, so you might see a copyright that ends up applying for 120 years. That being said, any copyrights that are given today will be subject to the 70 year limit.

How much does each option cost?

Filing a patent can get pretty expensive and complicated, with a huge number of potential fees to concern yourself with. The exact amount that you pay will depend on the nature of your invention and the length of your patent, but you can expect to pay several thousand dollars in most cases.

Copyrights are much simpler and cheaper, with $35 covering a basic copyright. This can cover as little as a single page of original work or an entire book, so you can actually save some time and money by compacting your works into a single copyright if necessary.

For more information, contact an attorney in your area.