What’s in-store for you during the second week of the course

The second week of our course is packed with a lot of important information. We will begin by noting the difference between an idea and intellectual property.

In particular, IP can be protected and ideas cannot. You will learn about the six different types of IP: patents, utility models, copyrights, trademarks, registered designs, and trade secrets. For each of these types of IP you will learn important details including the protection afforded to them and the limitations of this protection.

The limitations of protection extend both in time (the amount of time legal protection is given) and space (in which country or countries the protection is given). You will also learn that a single product can incorporate more than one type of IP.

We will explore the differences between these types of IP, with an emphasis on when you should use a particular type of IP. Specifically, you will understand the four criteria for deciding when to seek patent protection as opposed to keeping a trade secret.

You will also learn the subtle differences between a trademark and a registered design. You will become familiar with the “protector selector”, a practical tool that will help you select the appropriate form of IP protection. You will also explore the various reasons your company may need to read patents and learn a methodology for reading patents.

As always, examples from the food sector will be given throughout