IP/Trademark Crimes

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CRIMES

Intellectual Property (IP) exists in a brand, an invention, a design, a song or other intellectual creation. These expressions can fall into four IP legally protected categories;

• copyright
• trademarks
• patents
• designs

IP is a private right which is infringed when a product, creation or invention protected by IP laws are exploited, copied or otherwise used without having the authorization, or permission, from the person who owns those rights. All IP infringement – where there has been a breach of those rights – is actionable in the civil courts or through the various methods of dispute resolution by the person who owns the right.

As the Internet and advancement in traditional distribution methods, such as file sharing, continue to allow businesses and artists to instantly share their “products and ideas” worldwide, the threat from criminals who wish to profit illegally from your hard work by committing intellectual property crimes continues to grow.