Intellectual Property (or “IP”) is a set of legal rights that protect a person’s (or a company’s) creations. The goal of IP law is to protect the creator’s ability to restrict whether and how their creation is used by others, and to provide recourse if their creations is stolen or misused. Understanding your IP is important to protect your own creations as well as to safely navigate around the IP of others and quickly resolve potential disputes.

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If you need additional assistance, please contact MILS at 231-947-0122.

While IP protection may take various different forms, the following types of IP may be

particularly relevant to your vocations and business ventures. Visit the detailed articles to learn

more.

- Trademarks help protect a business’s brand of goods and services by protecting their

unique marks such as the company’s name, logo, and slogan. When you think of

trademarks, think of the Nike swoosh, the color Tiffany Blue, and the McDonald’s slogan

“I’m lovin’ it.”

- Copyrights protect works of authorship once they are in a fixed form. This can include

traditional forms of art like writings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, music, and

performances, but also other forms of expression such as clothing designs, websites,

podcasts, architecture, and even software code.

- Patents typically protect what we would refer to as inventions. Generally, patent rights

protect new or improved devices, compositions of matter, and processes (e.g., methods of

using or manufacturing a device). Patents generally provide a fixed term of protection for

the owner, after which the invention becomes open to the public. Some examples are the

lightbulb, Bluetooth technology, and Covid-19 vaccines.

Additionally, consider speaking to an attorney about these additional types of IP protection if you

think any may apply to your vocation or business ventures:

- Trade Secret law can protect confidential information that gives a business a competitive

advantage over another; as long as the information is kept secret, it can be protected (i.e.,

recipes, formulas, processes, or compilations of information)

- Trade Dress, which is somewhat similar to trademark, protects the overall commercial

image (i.e., the look and feel) of a product or service.

- Domain Names help identify your business or brand online to reduce confusion in the

marketplace.

To see whether your creation is eligible for one of these forms of IP protection, please follow the

flowchart below: