INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OVERVIEW

INVENTION - Creation of a design.

Invention may best be defined as a process of creation during which a novel (or new) idea becomes a product.

That the idea must be novel (or new) entails rigorous investigation by the authorities that are the `experts` in their field - in this instance the United Kingdom Patent Office.

The research by the design inspectors covers many years of previous design registrations and is so thorough as to be certain that the design or invention was not previously known and therefore no `prior art`is involved.

Prior Art - What's that?

With regard to claims of `prior art`- this is a term bandied around loosely by those who seek to derail registrations for intellectual property - indeed patent inspectors of the UK Patent Office have to have regard to `prior art` which can mean any evidence at all from any previous period in history where the idea was already known either in the public domain or in government or industry circles.

The checks made are so strenuous because there is a considerable benefit or reward from design rights.

The Monopoly Issue.

Owners of such design rights in law are entitled to legally exploit the inventiveness and novelty of their invention or design without hindrance and the benefit of such an exploitation can bestow a substantial degree of monopoly upon them - with the full protection of design law.