Intellectual property law concerns the exclusive rights conferred to an individual for a certain period over an intellectual creation: this can range from writing a book to inventing a new aircraft engine. This law concerns both creators in the artistic sense and inventors in industry. It deals with the acquisition, exploitation, or limitation of the right it confers.
However, the objective of protection is different depending on the category of intellectual property rights concerned. Indeed, there are two branches: 1) literary and artistic property and 2) industrial property.
Some of these rights are acquired through a filing subject to examination with a national, European or international institution (e.g., patents, trademarks, designs), others sometimes by use (e.g. trade name, sign), and others by simple registration with registries (e.g. domain names).
In any case, whether you are a graphic designer, writer, illustrator, or inventor, it is always worthwhile to build up proof that you owned the creation at a specific date, and therefore before anyone else who might want to dispute it later. Therefore, it is important to obtain proof of anteriority, such as a Copyright.eu certificate, even well before any filing with an institution and throughout the creative process.
In conclusion, intellectual property governs the life of creations in vast fields, ranging from literature to applied science. It is separated into two branches, literary and artistic property, and industrial property. Its noble objective is to encourage and reward creation or innovation while balancing the general interest for accessibility or use by others through its limitations. The formalities for obtaining these rights will depend on their nature (trademark, patent, copyright, etc.), however, there is a strong interest in obtaining proof of anteriority for an intellectual work or an invention, such as a Copyright.eu certificate.
