Intellectual property protection
Proper intellectual property protection and the implementation thereof are a prerequisite for promoting intellectual property creative processes. Without ensuring proper protection of intellectual property, it is difficult to expect initiative on behalf of individuals and economic operators in investment and business sectors closely related to intellectual property.
Companies can protect their intellectual property through:
- industrial property rights (patents, utility models, design, trade marks, plant variety rights, and geographical indications), which must be registered in each EU country;
- copyrights, which protect original literary and artistic works, music, television shows, software, databases, and advertising and multimedia works, and which belongs to the author automatically – these do not need to be officially registered;
- business strategies such as business secrets, confidentiality agreements, or rapid manufacturing strategies.