IP protection worldwide consists of mish-mash of approaches with different countries, different regions of the world and various international bodies. This can be confusing and expensive to navigate.
An effort is being made in Europe, by no means complete, to harmonize the various areas of intellectual property. The agency driving this effort is The Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market (OHIM).
EUROPEAN IP TYPES
Intellectual property types that receive protection in Europe include the following categories. We have grouped them loosely, with their varieties and responsible agency or governing treaty:
Copyright: copyright, economic rights, moral rights, databases, Berne Convention
Trade Marks: trademarks and designs, registered, unregistered
Patents: full patents, utility model (UM), European Patent Office (EPO), national patents
Unitary Patent: Agreement in 2012 by 25 EU member countries (excepting Italy and Spain) for Unitary Patent Protection. Will make it possible to obtain a European patent providing protection across 25 member states, reducing cost and increasing convenience. Hoped for date for implementation: 2015.
Unregistered Intellectual and Industrial Protection: trade secrets, know how, confidential information, confidentiality agreements.
Geographical Indications: protection of names that relate to the geographical area of production of a product rather than the name or trademark of the producer company.
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