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Patents, trademarks, and designs make it possible to protect your intellectual property (IP), particularly your inventions. This will allow you to highlight the unique selling points of your business idea and prevent it from being copied by others.
A patent is an intellectual property right that gives you, the inventor, exclusive control over your invention for up to 20 years. Patents are usually granted for technical inventions, such as new products or processes. A patent gives you an exclusive right to your invention, gives you a competitive advantage in the market through your ability to innovate and provides you with a source of income through licensing or patent sales.
A trademark is an intellectual property right for distinctive signs such as names, logos, symbols or slogans which are used to distinguish your company’s goods or services from those of your competitors. Trademark protection serves to establish and protect the reputation, identity, and recognition value of your brand.
A design or registered design is an intellectual property right that relates to the external appearance of the design of your product. The design includes features such as shape, pattern, lines, or colors that give the product or design an individual and aesthetic appearance.
Other ways to protect intellectual property include copyrights, trade secrets or company and domain names.
Software or AI inventions are generally protectable, but it depends on the specific individual case. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Filing an IP application involves costs. To cover these costs, both the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) and the European Union (EU) offer various funding programs. A selection is listed on this page:
Do you have questions about patents, trademarks, or designs? Schedule a 30-minute free initial consultation with our patent attorneys here.
