Intellectual Property

What is intellectual property?

Intellectual property refers to the rights people hold over their intellectual or artistic creations. These rights let you decide who may use or copy your creation and under what conditions. Through intellectual property you protect some of your company’s most important intangible assets. It splits in two: industrial property and copyright.

Trademarks

A trademark is any distinctive sign that sets a product or service apart from a similar one. A strong trademark is essential to a company’s long-term success because it builds trust, loyalty and commercial value.

• Composite mark

• Olfactory mark

• Three-dimensional mark

• Sound mark

• Word mark

Patents

Patent protection covers new and useful inventions and discoveries, such as processes, products or devices. It grants the holder the exclusive right to exploit the invention for a set period, normally 20 years from the filing date. It aims to encourage innovation through legal protection and, in doing so, promote public disclosure of technical knowledge that would otherwise stay secret.

Industrial design

Industrial design protection safeguards the visual or aesthetic appearance of a product: its shape, configuration, ornamentation or colour combination. It aims to foster innovation in product design and, with it, business competitiveness.

Trade secrets

Trade secrets are information that gives a company an advantage over its competitors. The company must keep that information secret and take measures to prevent unauthorized disclosure. Unlike patents or trademarks, trade secrets are not officially registered: they are protected by industrial property law.

Copyright

Copyright is an exclusive right protecting creative works such as books, music and films. It lets the author control how they are used and earn from them, and it arises automatically when the work is created. The author may authorize or prohibit reproduction and distribution. The term varies but generally covers the author’s lifetime plus an additional period; once expired, the work enters the public domain.

• Books

• Plays

• Photography

• Music

• Films

Franchising

A franchise is a commercial agreement between two parties, filed with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) for validation. It allows a person to replicate a business model in exchange for a fee and compliance with certain requirements. A franchise model lets an entrepreneur scale the business and position it against the competition.

• Established brand

  Makes market positioning and customer acquisition easier.

• Proven model and full support

  Includes training, operational consulting and management strategies.

• Economies of scale

  In sourcing supplies and in marketing campaigns.

• Lower risk

  Compared with going it alone, thanks to the franchisor’s experience.