What is Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property refers to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized in the corresponding field of law.

Owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary and artistic work, discoveries and inventions and words, phrases, symbols and designs.

What can be Patented contd…• Processes: Methods of production, research, testing,

analysis, and other technologies with new applications.• Machines: Products, instruments, machines, and other

physical objects that have proven useful and unique.• Manufactures: Combinations of physical matter not found

in nature fabricated in unique and useful application.• Composition of Matter: chemical compounds, medicines,

and botanical compositions that do not exist in nature in an uncultivated state, nor those that could evolve in nature, that are new and useful.

Types of Patent• Utility Patents: Granted for new processes, machines,

manufactures, and compositions, not including botanical creations, with a protected period of 17 years.

• Design Patent: granted for any original ornamental design for an article of manufacture with protected periods of 3.5, 7, or 14 years.

• Plant Patents: Granted for botanical creations that have been asexually reproduced and do not exist in nature with a protected period of 17 years.

The Patent ProcessDocument Disclosure

Patent Search

Patent Application

Parent Examination

Patent Grant

Initial filing