E WIPO -InWent/INN/DE/03/1 ORIGINAL: English DATE: June2003 INWENTCAPACITYBUILDING WORLDINTELLECTUAL INTERNATIONAL PROPERTYORGANIZATION WORKSHOPONINNOVATI ONSUPPORTSERVICES ANDTHEIRMANAGEMENT organizedby theWor ldIntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO) and InWEntCapacityBuildingInternational incooperationwith theGermanPatentandTrademarkOffice(GPTO) and theEuropeanPatentOffice(EPO) Munich,Nuremberg,Stuttgart,Mannheim,June30toJuly11,2003 MAINELEMENTSOFINT ELLECTUALPROPERTYANDITSIMPACTON RESEARCHANDDEVELOP MENT(R&D) DocumentpreparedbytheWIPOSecretariat WIPO -InWent/INN/DE/03/1 page 2 CONTENTS Paragraph(s) I. BASICNOTIONSOFINDUSTRIALPROPERTY A. IntellectualProperty ..................................................................................1and2 B. TheTwoBranchesofIntellectualProperty ................................................ 3to6 a. Copyright .................................................................................................. 3 b. IndustrialProperty ............................................................................. 4to6 C. Inventions ................................................................................................. 7to19 a. Patents ............................................................................................. 8to18 b. UtilityModels ........................................................................................ 19 D. IndustrialDesigns ................................................................................... 20to23 E. IntellectualPropertyinRespectofIntegratedCircuits ........................... 24to33 F. Trademarks ...........................................................................................34and35 G. TradeNames .........................................................................................36and37 H. GeographicalIndications ........................................................................ 38to41 I. ProtectionagainstUnfairCompetition ................................................... 42to44 WIPO -InWent/INN/DE/03/1 page 3 I. BASICNOTIONSOFINDUSTRIALPROPERTY A. IntellectualProperty 1. Industrialpropertyformspart ofthebroaderconceptof“intellectualproperty.” 2. Theobjectsofintellectualpropertyarethecreationsofthehumanmind,thehuman intellect hencetheexpression“intellectual”property.Inasomewhatsimplifiedway,onecan statethat intellectualpropertyrelatestopiecesofinformationwhichcanbeincorporatedin tangibleobjectsatthesametimeinanunlimitednumberofcopiesatdifferentlocations anywhereintheworld.Thepropertyisnotinthosecopiesbutintheinformationreflectedin thosecopies.Similartopropertyinmovablethingsandimmovableproperty,intellectual property,too,ischaracterizedbycertainlimitations,forexample,limiteddurationinthecase ofcopyrightandpatents. B. TheTwoBranchesofIntellectualProperty a. Copyright 3. Copyrightrelatestoartisticcreations,suchaspoems,novels,music,paintings, cinematographicworks,etc.InmostEuropeanlanguagesotherthanEnglish,copyrightis calledauthor’srights.Theexpressio n“copyright”referstothemainactwhich,inrespectof literaryandartisticcreations,maybemadeonlybytheauthororwithhisauthorization.That actisthemakingof copies oftheliteraryorartisticwork,suchasabook,apainting,a sculpture ,aphotograph,amotionpicture.Thesecondexpression,“author’srights”refersto thepersonwhoisthecreatoroftheartisticwork,itsauthor,thusunderliningthefact, recognizedinmostlaws,thattheauthorhascertainspecificrightsinhiscre ation,for example,therighttopreventadistortedreproduction,whichcanbeexercisedonlyby himself,whereasotherrights,suchastherighttomakecopies,canbeexercisedbyother persons,forexample,apublisherwhohasobtainedalicensetothiseffectfromtheauthor. b. IndustrialProperty 4. Industrialpropertyissometimesmisunderstoodasrelatingtomovableorimmovable propertyusedforindustrialproduction,suchasfactories,equipmentforproduction. Typically,thecreatio nstowhichindustrialpropertyrelatesareinventionsandindustrial designs.(Simplystated,inventionsaresolutionstotechnicalproblems,andindustrialdesigns areaestheticcreationsdeterminingtheappearanceofindustrialproducts.)Inaddition, industrialpropertyincludestrademarks,servicemarks,commercialnamesanddesignations, geographicalindications(indicationsofsourceandappellationsoforigin)andtheprotection againstunfaircompetition.Here,theaspectofintellectualcreatio ns —althoughexistent—is lessprominent,butwhatcountshereisthattheobjectofindustrialpropertytypicallyconsists ofsignstransmittinginformationtoconsumers,inparticular,asregardsproductsandservices offeredonthemarket,andthatthe protectionisdirectedagainstunauthorizeduseofsuch signswhichislikelytomisleadconsumers,andagainstmisleadingpracticesingeneral. 5. Theexpression“industrial”propertymayappearnottobeentirelylogicalbecauseitis onlyas farasinventionsareconcernedthatthemainsegmentofeconomythatisinterestedin themis industry .Indeed,inthetypicalsituation,inventionsareexploitedinindustrialplants. Buttrademarks,servicemarks,commercialnamesandcommercialdesig nationsareof WIPO -InWent/INN/DE/03/1 page 4 interestnotonlytoindustrybutalsoandmainlytocommerce.Notwithstandingthislackof logic,theexpression“industrialproperty”hasacquiredameaning,whichclearlycoversnot onlyinventionsbutalsotheotherobjectsjustmentioned. 6. InthehalloftheWIPOheadquartersbuilding,thereisaninscriptioninthecupola whosetexttries,inafewwords,implicitlytodefineintellectualworks.Italsotriestoconvey thereasonsforwhichintellectualworksshouldbe“p roperty,”thatis,whytheircreators shouldenjoyadvantagessecuredbylaw.Finally,theinscriptioninvokesthedutyoftheState inthisfield.Naturally,theinscriptionmakesnoclaimtolegalexactitude.Itsintentisto stressthecultural,soci alandeconomicimportanceofprotectingintellectualproperty. C. Inventions 7. Ashasalreadybeensaid,inventionsarenewsolutionstotechnicalproblems.Thisis notanofficialdefinition.Mostlawsdealingwiththeprotectionofinven tionsdonotdefine thenotionofinventions.However,theWIPOModelLawforDevelopingCountrieson Inventions(1979)containedadefinitionwhichreadasfollows:“‘Invention’meansanidea ofaninventorwhichpermitsinpracticethesolutiontoasp ecificprobleminthefieldof technology.” a. Patents 8. Inventionsarecharacteristicallyprotectedbypatents,alsocalled“patentsfor invention.”Everycountry,whichgiveslegalprotectiontoinventions —andtherearemore than140suchcountries —givessuchprotectionthroughpatentsalthoughthereareafew countriesinwhichprotectionmayalsobegivenbymeansotherthanpatents,aswillbeseen below. 9. Theword“patent”isoftenusedin twosenses.Oneofthemisthedocumentthatis called“patent”or“letterspatent.”Theotheristhecontentoftheprotectionthatapatent confers. 10. Firstofall,letusdealwiththefirstsenseoftheword“patent,”thatis,whenitmeansa document. 11. Ifapersonmakeswhathebelievesisaninvention,he,orifheworksforanentity,that entity,askstheGovernment —byfilinganapplicationwiththePatentOffice —togivehima documentinwhichitisstatedwhattheinventionisandthatheistheowner ofthepatent. Thisdocument,issuedbyaGovernmentauthority,iscalledapatentorapatentforinvention. WIPO -InWent/INN/DE/03/1 page 5 12. Notallinventionsarepatentable.Generally,patentlawsrequirethat,inordertobe patentable,theinventionmustbenew,it mustinvolveaninventivestep(oritmustbenon- obvious),anditmustbeindustriallyapplicable.Thesethreerequirements,sometimescalled therequirementsorconditionsofpatentability,havebeenincorporatedinArticle 27.1ofthe AgreementonTra de-RelatedAspectsofIntellectualPropertyRights(“theTRIPS Agreement”). 13. Theconditionsofnoveltyandinventivestepmustexistonacertaindate.Thatdate, generally,isthedateonwhichtheapplicationisfiled.However,inacertai ncaseitwillnot matteriftheconditionsnolongerexistonthatdate.ThatcaseisregulatedintheParis ConventionfortheProtectionofIndustrialProperty(“theParisConvention”)andconcerns thesituationwheretheapplicationofagivenapplica ntconcerningagiveninventionisnotthe firstapplicationofthatapplicantforthatinvention,butalaterapplicationbythesame applicant(orhissuccessorintitle)forthesameinvention.Forexample,thefirstapplication wasfiledinJapanandthesecondinFrance.Insuchacase,itwillbesufficientthatthe conditionsofnoveltyandinventivestepexistonthedateonwhichthefirst(theJapanese) applicationwasfiled.Inotherwords,thesecond(theFrench)applicationwillhavea priority overanyapplicationsfiledbyotherapplicantsinFrancebetweenthedateofthefirst (Japanese)andthesecond(French)application,providedtheperiodbetweenthetwodates doesnotexceed12 months.Becauseofsuchpriority,theadvantagethusa ssuredtothe applicantiscalled“rightofpriority.” 14. Itiscustomarytodistinguishbetweeninventionsthatconsistofproductsandinventions thatconsistofprocesses.Aninventionthatconsistsofanewalloyisanexampleofaproduct invention.Aninventionthatconsistsofanewmethodorprocessofmakingaknownornew alloyisaprocessinvention.Thecorrespondingpatentsareusuallyreferredtoasa“product patent,”anda“processpatent,”respectively. 15. Now,totheothersenseoftheword“patent.”Theprotectionthatapatentforinvention confersmeansthatanyonewhowishestoexploittheinventionmustobtaintheauthorization ofthepersonwhoreceivedthepatent —called“thepatentee”or“theownerofthepatent” — toexploittheinvention.Ifanyoneexploitsthepatentedinventionwithoutsuchauthorization, hecommitsanillegalact.Onespeaksabout“protection”sincewhatisinvolvedisthatthe patenteeisprotectedagainstexploitationoftheinventio n,whichhehasnotauthorized.Such protectionislimitedintime.AccordingtoArticle33oftheTRIPSAgreement,thetermof protectionmustnotendbeforetheexpirationofaperiodoftwentyyearscountedfromthe filingdate. 16. Therigh ts(theprotection)arenotdescribedinthedocumentcalleda“patent.”Those rights(thatprotection)aredescribedinthepatentlawofthecountryinwhichthepatentfor