Intellectual Property

Patents, Trademarks, Designs & Copyright

The term intellectual property refers to creations of the mind and although such creations are often intangible, they may have commercial and strategic value.

Patents, registered designs, trademarks or copyright are treated as business assets on the balance sheet and has a monetary value associated with it. It is most likely that your business has already generated intellectual property of value through the creativity of the individuals in the business.

It is important for individuals and businesses alike to protect their patents, trademarks and copyright, because most of them are unaware of the intellectual property that they have created

The first step in protecting your intellectual property is to identify it. Although it may seem like an obvious process, it is most often not possible to identify the intellectual property of a business without involving specialized expertise.

Once the intellectual property of a business has been identified, it is possible to protect it by means of registered, unregistered, contractual agreements or non-statutory forms of protection.

Smit & Van Wyk, Inc. intellectual property attorneys for Africa.