While the definition of Patent merely covers utility patent according to the Indian Patent Act, 1970, the same isn’t true in many other jurisdictions. For example, in the United States, there are three types of patents, namely utility patent, design patent, and plant patent. In India, design patents are called “Industrial Designs” and are defined under the Industrial Designs Act, 2000 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Act’). India does not have the concept of plant patents and hence we will not be discussing plant patents in this article. Utility Patents             Utility patents, as their name suggests, protect the utility/functionality surrounding an invention. Utility patents may be granted to products or processes depending upon the subject matter of the invention. To know more about utility patents read “What is a Patent?” written by Adv. Sutapa Jana, Consulting Counsel, Acura IP. To keep things simple, at least in India, whenever…

Intellectual Property (IP) encompasses intangible assets such as patents, copyright, trademarks, industrial design, geographical indications, and trade secrets. Intellectual Property Rights are conferred to the intellectual property owners to restrict others from copying their creations. The creations could be inventions, books, music, songs, brand names or trademarks, product designs, confidential information, etc. Depending upon the type of intellectual property, protection may be conferred automatically for a few, and for others, the intellectual property owner must apply for protection in desired countries. Types of Intellectual Property (IP) Protection Types of ProtectionTypes of Intellectual PropertyAutomatic ProtectionCopyright (advisable to register) Trade Secrets (however steps should be taken to keep the information secret)To Be Applied for ProtectionPatents, Trademarks, Industrial Designs, and Geographical Indications. One Product – Multiple Intellectual Property Rights Depending upon the subject matter involved, a product includes multiple intellectual property rights i.e., a product can have underlying intellectual property right protection under…