Intellectual Property – Tips, Tricks & Traps for the General Practitioner

In this age of technological advances and social media, awareness of intellectual property has greatly increased. Not that long ago it seems, many people did not know what the term “intellectual property” meant. Now it is all around us, with IP issues making mainstream news on a regular basis. With such increased awareness, clients are regularly seeking legal advice as to how best to protect their IP. Yet, there are many traps for the unwary, and common myths that persist relating to trade-marks, copyright, patents and industrial designs.

For example:

• Does obtaining a business name registration provide the same scope of protection as obtaining a trade-mark registration?
• Can an inventor protect patent rights by mailing notes about the invention to himself or herself and keeping such notes in a sealed envelope?
• When does the client’s own activities result in the loss of their ability to obtain a valid patent or industrial design?
• Does trade-mark ownership confer rights in domain names and social media handles?
• By paying someone to design a website, does the purchaser obtain copyright in that website?
• When does a licence agreement inadvertently fall into the “franchise trap”, thereby triggering franchise disclosure and other statutory obligations?

Our expert panelists will discuss the answers to these questions and more, and will provide a framework of best practices that you need to ensure that you are not leading your clients astray when it comes to providing guidance on IP issues.