IP / 04
Copyright & software
A digital product may include source code, interface graphics, photographs, text and documentation. Each component can have a different creator and a different basis for permitted use.
Identify the expression
Copyright protects qualifying expression rather than an underlying idea or method. Describing an app concept therefore raises a different question from copying its original code, artwork or written material.
Follow every contribution
Keep agreements, delivery records and a component inventory. Payment or possession of a file should not be used as a shortcut for checking the rights actually transferred or licensed under the applicable rules.
Separate the patent question
Under the European Patent Convention, computer programs as such are excluded from patentability. Computer-implemented inventions can require a different assessment, including technical character, novelty and inventive step.
Check the official source
Official answers about trademarks, inventions, designs and procedures before the Polish Patent Office.
Official guidance on preparing an EU trademark application, defining protection and searching earlier marks.
European Patent Office information about technical inventions and the basic requirements for patent protection.
WIPO's introduction to copyright, patents, trademarks, designs and trade secrets.
Rekel Patent — an intellectual-property information website. Publisher: Vadym Rekel.
Continue reading
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