Unit 2 - Intellectual Property Flashcards
Why IP matters
You are media creators
It’s important to know your rights and responsibilities - even if you want to give others full access to your work
Companies that you work for may have rights over your work and you should know about that
Creative works builds on ____ work
Other work.
Creative projects are rarely entirely brand new ideas
It’s important to know what you can use and how to use it with proper attribution
Types of Intellectual Property
- Industrial
- Copyright
Examples of Industrial Intellectual Property?
Patents
Industrial Designs
Trademarks
Wordmarks
Examples of Copyright Intellectual Property
Books, Plays, Manuscripts
Drawings, Paintings
TV, movies
Music
Multimedia
Patents
“a time-limited, legal right to exclude others from making, using and selling an invention, which may be a product, composition, machine, process, or an improvement of any of the aforementioned that is new, useful and inventive.”
Patents Continued
The Canadian Patent Act and Patent Rules govern the patent application process and enforcement of patents. To obtain a patent, the basic criteria for patentability must be met.
(For Patents) To qualify, an invention must be
a patentable subject matter;
novel;
useful; and
non-obvious.
Industrial Designs
Industrial designs are the visual features of a product that appeal to the eye: the contour of a car hood, the pattern of a knitted sweater, the shape of a computer monitor. Distinctive and attractive features like these give products a competitive edge.
Is a new water jug likely to be patentable?
A new water jug is unlikely to be a patentable because its functional characteristics (container, handle, spout, etc.) are not new.
But! If the outwardly visible shape or appearance of the new water jug differs from the shape and appearance of prior water jugs, then the shape and appearance of the new water jug is protectable.
Can a snowmobile visor be protected using IP rights?
AFX sued competitor, HJC, for industrial design infringement. HJC argued that the design was invalid due to a lack of originality and due to functionality.
Court decided AFX’s ID registration was valid, but was not infringed by HJC because of “substantial differences” in their designs.
What are trademarks?
A trademark may be one or a combination of words, sounds, designs, tastes, colours, textures, scents, moving images, three-dimensional shapes, modes of packaging or holograms, used to distinguish the goods or services of one person or organization from those of others.
An example would be mcdonalds logo and their slogan “ba da ba ba ba, I’m lovin’ it”
What are wordmarks?
A distinct, text-only “typographic treatment” that’s attached to a company, institution or product line.
An example is The Government of Canada wordmark, or Google, FedEx, Sony, H&M
This is different than graphic logos like Nike, or Instagram, or Dominos, or Target, or Starbucks
What is copyright?
“Copyright provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works (including computer programs) and other subject-matter known as performer’s performances, sound recordings and communication signals”
What is not covered by copyright?
- Facts and theories
- Short & common phrases
- Ideas
- Government works
- Names, titles, slogans (see trademarks)
- Methods
- Merger doctrine
What are examples of facts and theories that are not covered by copyright?
E = mc^2
Pi = 3.14159
Being hit with a hammer hurts!
What are examples of short and common phrases that are not covered by copyright?
Good day!
I love it
There’s no place like home
What are examples of Ideas that are not covered by copyright
The plot of a movie is not copyrightable
But the characters and dialog are!
What are some examples of Government works that are not covered by copyright?
Publications
Notes, minutes, emails
Legislation
Are Names, titles, and slogans covered by copyright?
No they are not covered by copyright but they may be eligible for a trademark
What are examples of Methods that are not covered by copyright?
Teaching methods
Food recipes
Often still kept as trade secrets
How come Merger Doctrine is not covered by copyright?
When there is only one or a limited number of ways to express an idea, copyright law will not protect the expression because it has “merged” with the idea.
What are examples of Merger Doctrine?
An airplane signifying an airport on a map
A trash can for deleting computer files
MS vs Apple desktop metaphors