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Intellectual Property

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Intellectual Property, or IP, as it is colloquially called, is characterised as legal protection for commercially precious products of human intellect. There are, generally, three forms of IP: patents, copyrights and trademarks. Although these articles are similar many some ways, they each have individual idiosyncrasies and definitions which make them unique. Perhaps most importantly, there is no physicality to intellectual property. If effectively safeguards an intangible idea or process.

Patents

Generally speaking, patents are granted to inventors for inventions. These can include anything from machinery, tools, processes, chemicals, biotechnology, software, etc.

To qualify for a patent, an inventor must invariably create something that is:

• Of patentable matter
• Unique to patentee
• Merited and can be utilised
• Innovative
• Non-obvious

Under a patent, the patentee reserves the right stop or limit others from utilising and trading the invention. Without explicit permission from the patentee, persons using the patent in any of these ways are infringing, and could be subjected to legal action.

Trademarks

Trademarks are used to denote epithets, logos, symbols, slogans, etc, that are individual to a business and product. Fundamentally, the things that distinguish your product or service from a competitor's. Businesses understandably go to endless lengths to have control over their trademarks. Therefore, any persons found infringing upon them through unlawful use could be subject to legal action.

Famous examples of trademarks are Coca Cola and McDonald's.

Trademarks in Cyprus are governed by the Trademarks Law of the Statute Laws of Cyprus. Trademarks are registered for an initial period of seven years, after which the registration may be renewed for periods of fourteen years. Applications to renew can be made at any time within three months of the expiry date.

Copyright

Copyright gives someone to sell and reproduce a protected product, which is invariably printed work. Things like books, magazines, websites, photographs, music, film and art are common examples of copyrighted work. Copyright denotes five rights of the author, artist, etc: reproduction, distribution, adaptation, performance and display. Use of such materials or works without the explicit permission of the copyright holder is classed as infringement, and persons doing so could be subject to legal action.

Applying for a Patent

Cyprus has entered the European Patent Office (EPO) and is a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). A patent be registered in Cyprus unless it is first registered in England or has a European registration with UK origin. Application for the registration must be made within three years from the date of filing the patent in the UK.

Registration Office
Xenios Building
Nicosia
1427
Cyprus
Telephone: +357 2240 4361
Fax: +357 2240 4887
Website: www.mcit.gove.cy/mcit/drcor.nsf/index_en/index_en?opendocument Â
E-mail: deptcomp@drcor.mcit.gov.cy

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