The following article Intellectual Property Law was authored by Joe Regan and is published or republished in this directory with the author's permission. This directory is provided as service to legal professionals and the internet community.

Intellectual Property Law  by: Joe Regan Intellectual Property Law can be quite confusing at times. Copyrights, trademarks and patents all have a role in protecting your hard earned content and knowing their role is half the battle. Intellectual property in itself refers to the creations of the mind, including such things as: artistic works, literary works, inventions, names, images, symbols, and designs used in commerce. In other words, the intellect that is the possession of an organization or an individual is considered intellectual property. Intellectual property is divided into two categories, copyrights and industrial property. Copyrights give the authors of an exclusive work, exclusive rights to that work for a limited amount of time. Copyrights cover such literary and artistic works as novels, poems, plays, films, songs and other musical works, artistic works (drawings, paintings, sculptures and photographs) and architectural designs. Copyrights, which must be renewed periodically, allow the creators of a piece of work, the opportunity to benefit from that piece of work. Industrial property includes patents, trademarks, industrial designs and geographic indications of source. Patents give the inventors of a new product, a certain (limited) amount of time in which he/she may prevent others from making, selling or using the invention without authorization. A trademark is an intellectual property protection which is used to protect the distinctive features that distinguish one product from another. Those features can include such things as: symbols, colors, brands, names, sounds, smells, shapes, and signs. Fortunately, Intellectual property laws benefit the creator of a property, by rewarding that creator for his/her innovation and creativity. Also, society as a whole benefits from intellectual property laws, by the fact, that these laws encourage creativity, therefore allowing the rest of us to benefit from the wide range of products and services that are produced. Any violation of a trademark, patent or copyright could constitute the grounds for an intellectual property lawsuit. If you feel that you have been victimized it would be wise to consult a qualified attorney in your area. Find an attorney or law firm, which specializes in intellectual property law. Know your rights and protect them accordingly. About The Author Joe Regan writes articals for many major websites including but not limited to: www.hugesettlements.com, www.nurseuniverse.com, and www.bubbajunk.com. Joe can be contacted at jregan@verticalag.com. You are welcome to reproduce this artical as long as a live link to www.hugesettlements.com is provided. This article was posted on October 21, 2004 The opinions, statements and information contained and expressed in the foregoing article are solely those of the author. No position for or against, agreeing with or disagreeing with anything contained in said article is taken by US Attorneys Directory.com. We do not assume or accept any liability for the use of the information contained herein. This article is published solely as a service to attorneys, lawyers and the internet community. Anyone who does not accept this disclaimer is not authorised to read or use this article in any way. To browse articles see pages 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 To view articles indexed by subject see Subject To view articles indexed by author see Author We need well written informative legal articles for our site. If you have articles that you have written regarding the law or the practice of law, and would like to see them published in this website at no charge, please go to Article Submission . Thank you. Home | About Us | Contact | Resources | Article Submission Attorney Directories | Process Servers | Court Reporters Page Set Up ©Copyright 2004 US Attorneys Directory.com, a directory of legal and law practice articles, information and services. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.