1. The 4 Different Forms of
IP Protection

2. Intellectual Property
1. Trademarks
2. Patents
3. Copyrights
4. Trade Secrets

3. 1. Trademarks
Definition
• Form of recognition
for a company or
entity.
• Expresses the origin
of a product or item.
• Can be a symbol,
design, a name or an
expression.

4. 1. Trademarks
Protecting Trademarks
• Losses are associated with associated with
violations that happen in a matter of months.
• Businesses must be proactive and catch
violators immediately.
• Keep trademarks active by using them
regularly.

5. 2. Patents
Definition
• Protect original
inventions.
• US now follows first-to-
grant system, meaning
that whoever applies first
receives the patent.
• Gives an entity the right
to produce items that use
patented knowledge.

6. 2. Patents
Protecting Patents
• Hire a high-quality international translation
company for foreign patents.
• Check for prior art.
• Watch out for patent trolls and non-practicing
entities.

7. 3. Copyrights
Definition
• Protects written works and
artwork.
• Usually last for a finite period of
time.
• Requires publishing or date of
creation for protection to extend
over a work.
• Under the Berne Convention, every
original work is protected, whether
or not it’s registered.

8. 3. Copyrights
Protecting Copyrights
• Difficult to protect with the internet.
• Litigation is expensive—pick and choose
battles.
• Most cases don’t go to court, work it out in
settlement.

9. 4. Trade Secrets
Definition
• Business information:
formulas, practices,
processes, designs, or
compilations of
information.
• Not accessible to the
public or generally
known.
• Valid reason to retain
in secrecy.

10. 4. Trade Secrets
Protecting Trade Secrets
• Corporate espionage and employee poaching
are illegal.
• To protect information, have employees sign
non-disclosure or non-compete agreements.

11. IP Translation
• International patent translation is a vital part
to protecting your company’s IP.
• MultiLing has the people, processes, and
technology to give your company high quality
IP translations.
• Contact MultiLing for a free bid request.