Reading sequence
Start with what you already believe
Begin here if IP feels remote or you are curious about what you may already have.
The sequence
- 10 questions to ask yourself about intellectual property
You probably already own intellectual property, and some of it is protected the moment you make it. Ten questions to find out what you have.
- The intellectual property you made before breakfast
The photo, the newsletter paragraph and the script you wrote this morning can already be protected by copyright. Here is how to tell, and who owns them.
- You may already have copyright
In the U.S., copyright starts the moment you save, write down or record original work. No form creates it. Registration is a separate step that decides whether you can sue and what you can recover.
- One project can contain several kinds of IP
Take one real project apart and you find copyright, a trademark, possible patents and a trade secret, each with its own next step.
Optional side paths
Every article in this section
10 questions to ask yourself about intellectual property
You probably already own intellectual property, and some of it is protected the moment you make it. Ten questions to find out what you have.
The intellectual property you made before breakfast
The photo, the newsletter paragraph and the script you wrote this morning can already be protected by copyright. Here is how to tell, and who owns them.
You may already have copyright
In the U.S., copyright starts the moment you save, write down or record original work. No form creates it. Registration is a separate step that decides whether you can sue and what you can recover.
One project can contain several kinds of IP
Take one real project apart and you find copyright, a trademark, possible patents and a trade secret, each with its own next step.
Owning a thing and owning its rights
A book, a photograph, a source file, and the rights behind them can have different owners.
Does your protection travel across borders
Copyright reaches most countries automatically. Patents and trademarks you secure country by country, or through the PCT and Madrid systems.
What happens to a good idea before it becomes IP
The law does not protect a bare idea. It protects what you write or draw, an invention you file on, and information you keep secret. Work out which one you have before you share it.
What a timestamp can and cannot prove
A timestamp shows that a file existed by a certain time. It does not show who made it, who owns it, or that you registered anything. Here is what to keep alongside it, and when to register.