Forms of Protection

The most important forms of protection in Intellectual Property and Industrial Property in Europe are listed below:

Forms of Protection of Patents

Technical inventions:

• New
• Inventive step
• Industrial application

Duration of protection:

20 years

Instruments:

• National patents
• Euro-patent application
• PCT applications

Competent authorities:

• National patent offices
• European Patent Office
• WIPO

Forms of Protection of Utility models

Technical inventions:

• New
• Inventive step
• Industrial application

(Protectable subject matter can be restricted)

Duration of protection:

10 years

Instruments:

National utility models (not available in all European Union)

Competent authorities:

National patent offices

Forms of Protection of Marks

Marks for products, services etc.:

2D or 3D pictures, words, names, colours, and/or sounds

Duration of protection:

10 years indefinitely renewable

Instruments:

• National trade marks
• Community trade marks
• International registration

Competent authorities:

• National Trade Marks offices
• OHIM – Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
• WIPO

Forms of Protection of Industrial Designs

Design:

Aesthetic configuration of an object or a specific shape

Duration of protection:

5 years renewable to up to 25 years(according to Directive 98/71 on the protection of designs – transposition mandatory before Oct 2001)

Instruments:

• National industrial designs
• International deposit of industrial designs

Competent authorities:

• National offices
• WIPO
• OHIM  – Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)

Forms of Protection of Copyright

Creative works:

Literary, graphic or musical works, software, databases

Duration of protection:

Author’s lifetime +70 years

No registration

The protection arises merely through the act of creation