Infringement
Infringement arises when someone makes use of an invention which is the subject of a patent, a design which is subject to a registered design, a registered trade mark, or other intellectual property right without permission of the owner. Intellectual property rights are private rights. If someone infringes those rights, it is generally for IP owners to use the remedies available under the civil law, for example, by seeking injunctions and damages. However, the parties may negotiate a solution before taking legal action.
Intangible Asset
Something of value that cannot be physically touched, such as a brand, franchise, exclusivity arrangement, trade mark, patent or goodwill. Although the value of intangible assets can be hard to determine, they can add significant value to a business. See also Asset, Goodwill, Intellectual Capital
Intellectual Asset
An item of knowledge that has some market value for a company. More specifically, the recorded or recordable and corporately owned intangible assets of a business. Examples of intellectual assets are staff expertise, market intelligence and trade secrets. Knowing how to do something is in itself not an intellectual asset. That knowledge only becomes an asset if it has some form of commercial value or market demand.
Intellectual Capital
The combined value of an organisation's people and business systems - the intangible assets of a business therefore. Business systems are another way of describing the technology, business processes and procedures within your business. Poor business systems will reduce or destroy the value of people assets. Good business systems will amplify the value of people assets as their knowledge and skills can be retained within a business and used on a continual basis. See also Intangible Asset
Intellectual Property (IP) and Intellectual Property Rights
Intellectual property signifies the right of a business to control creativity and innovation. As the owner of intellectual property, a business can control and be rewarded for its use. Where these intellectual property rights have some commercial value, they are an intellectual asset. See Trade Marks, Design Right, Copyright and Intellectual Asset.
Intellectual Property Portal
The UK Government-backed portal which contains many resources you need to help you understand the relevance of Intellectual Property (IP) for your business. It provides up-to-date news and information on IP and useful links to hundreds of relevant sites. See www.intellectual-property.gov.uk.
International Patent Application
An informal term for single patent application for up to 104 countries, made under the Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT) via one of a number of Receiving Offices including the UK Patent Office. This can lead to the grant of a patent in each country designated by the applicant. A single, internationally recognised search is carried out.
Internet and Copyright
Under UK law, copyright material sent over the Internet or stored on web servers will generally be protected in the same way as material in other media. Anyone wishing to put copyright material on the Internet, or distribute or download material that others have placed on the Internet, should ensure that they have the permission of the owners of rights in the material. The law may be different in other countries so copyright material may have been put on the Internet in other countries without infringing copyright there. This material however could still be illegal to use, including download that material without permission in the UK.
Invention
An article or process that is created rather than discovered and generally goes beyond previously known technology.
Inventive Step
An invention contains an inventive step if it is not an obvious development of what has gone before, when considered by someone who is skilled in the area of technology to which the invention relates. For a patent application to be granted the invention claimed must contain an inventive step. See Patentability.
Inventor
Someone who creates a new article or process that forms an invention, but is not necessarily the owner of that invention.
