Welcome to Lampel & Associates
Intellectual property rights are rights of ownership of intangible property. It is imperative that these rights be recognized and protected. If our government did not recognize these intellectual property rights, others could profit from another persons work in creating a new technology or creating an artistic work simply by duplicating the work without permission. Thus, the area of intellectual property law was designed to recognize the time and effort that creators/inventors spent on their respective creations and inventions.
There are four main areas of intellectual property law: patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. Patent law is the only area in which an applicant (or inventor) must file for protection with the government in order to obtain exclusive rights in the subject matter sought. Rights in all other areas of intellectual property can be obtained through use without ever filing for protection with the government. However, failure to file for protection, even when not required by law, may have serious consequences for the person(s) seeking to protect their invention or creation.
Helpful Intellectual Property Links:
The United States Patent & Trademark Office
The United States Copyright Office