Intellectual property is a right exercised by an author over a creation of the human intellect. You can claim the intellectual property rights of literary works and artworks as well as names and images, which are often used in the business world and can contribute significantly to building a brand.
Intellectual property is legally recognised through the presentation and registration of a series of documents certifying and indisputably demonstrating ownership.
Of course, intellectual property rights are also recognised abroad, as long as you comply with the local regulations.
How many types of intellectual property are there?
Until a few decades ago, the expression “intellectual property” was used in several cases that now fall into the new category of “industrial property”.
Industrial property includes inventions (i.e., invention patents), brand names, industrial designs and models, as well as indications of geographical origin (which are very important in the food industry) and EU rights for new plant varieties (which ensures the protection of a plant variant within the European Community).
Copyright applies to works in the artistic field, be them literary, visual (such as sculptures, paintings and films) or relating to the performing arts (such as singing or dancing).
How do you obtain industrial property?
Industrial property rights are obtained by registering a patent and trademark for a product. These constitute the distinctive aspects of any given idea (also often referred to as an invention) whose ownership is legally conferred onto its creator.
To obtain intellectual property rights for a product in Italy (whether it be industrial property or copyright) you need to submit a specific set of forms to the Italian Chamber of Commerce. You then need to pay a fee, which may differ depending on the type of patent you’ve filed, or depending on the length of the descriptive text if you’re filing a patent for an industrial invention in Italy.
To ensure your intellectual property rights are recognised in other countries, you need to submit the documents issued in your country of origin to the international country in which you intend to make a request in the official language of that country.
Translating professional documents relating to intellectual or industrial property rights is not simple. Translators need to have knowledge in the field in which the intellectual property is being claimed as well as an understanding of the legal system of the target country. For this reason, you need to work with a competent, specialised translator who possesses all the knowledge required to perform the task to a high standard.
