Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, like names, logos, inventions, designs, commercial writing and technical processes that have commercial value. It must go beyond a basic idea, and be new, original and not obvious.

IP Rights (also known by the initials IPR) are legal protections that let you control how others use your IP, while balancing your exclusive control with other people’s freedom to compete, innovate or build on ideas without needing your permission.

The most common IP Rights are trademarks (for brands), copyright (for written and visual materials), design rights (for aesthetic product and visual designs), and patents (for inventions and inventive developments).

Trademarks can be creative names, logos, slogans, stylised devices, sounds, shapes, or colours used to promote your brand for specific goods and services.

It is a legally protected (registered) name, logo or other branding element that applies in a specific country or region. It gives you the exclusive right to stop others using similar marks for similar goods or services.

An unregistered trademark is a name, logo or brand used in business without being formally registered. It may be protected under passing off, but proving your rights is harder, slower, and riskier.

Registered trademarks protect your trademark for the scope of the goods/services specified in the application, whether or not they are in use (subject to a five-year non-use rule). Unregistered rights, if you can rely on them, are limited only to the goods or services you currently sell.

No. A business or company name is a legal requirement for trading, but it doesn’t give you intellectual property rights. Nor does a domain name by itself give trademark rights.

You may have unregistered trademark rights through use, especially for names or logos that distinguish your goods or services. Copyright may also protect original logos or packaging. But enforcing these rights is harder, slower, and riskier than using a registered trademark.