The Department of the Registry General and the Office of Intellectual Property are reminding the public to take the necessary steps to protect their intellectual property rights.

Intellectual property (IP) qualifies as something novel or the intangible creation of the human intellect. An idea alone is not intellectual property. A commonly used example is an idea for a book, which is not intellectual property, but actual written words do count.

Having the correct form of intellectual property protection will protect the right holder from unlawful use or duplication:

• The names of products or brands

• Inventions

• The design or look of products

• Things an individual has written, performed, recorded or produced

There are various effective ways to protect an intellectual property. Having IP protection gives owners the right to take legal action against anyone who attempts to use or duplicate their work. Suitable protection will depend on the type of intellectual property or rights associated with an individual’s created work and whether protection was applied for.

The types of intellectual property protected in Bermuda include:

• Trademarks: Trademarks are the means by which a trader identifies their goods or services (e.g. product names, logos, jingles).

• Designs: A design consists of the visual and/or ornamental characteristics applied to an article of manufacture or the outward appearance of an article of manufacture. It can apply to the shape, configuration, appearance and/or surface ornamentation of a thing.

• Patents: Patents are a monopoly right granted to the inventor or discoverer of any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or of any new and useful improvement for a process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter.

• Copyrights: Copyright protects the original expression of a creative work (e.g. book, movie, picture, song, broadcast or website).

• Register your Domain Names: Domain names are the addresses you use when navigating the internet or sending emails.

For full information regarding intellectual property, rights, protections and forms to please visit: https://www.gov.bm/types-intellectual-property

• Press release from the Bermuda Government