What is Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property (IP) is a legal concept which refers to creations of the mind for which exclusive rights are recognized. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property rights include copyright, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights, trade dress, and in some jurisdictions trade secrets. There are also more specialized varieties of sui generis exclusive rights, such as circuit design rights, plant breeders' rights, plant variety rights, industrial design rights, supplementary protection certificates for pharmaceutical products and database rights (in European law).
Although many of the legal principles governing intellectual property rights have evolved over centuries, it was not until the 19th century that the term intellectual property began to be used, and not until the late 20th century that it became commonplace in the majority of the world. The British Statute of Anne 1710 and the Statute of Monopolies 1623 are now seen as the origins of copyright and patent law respectively.
The WIPO (world international property organization) treaty and several related international agreements are premised on the notion that the protection of intellectual property rights are essential to maintaining economic growth. The WIPO Intellectual Property Handbook gives two reasons for intellectual property laws:
One is to give statutory expression to the moral and economic rights of creators in their creations and the rights of the public in access to those creations. The second is to promote, as a deliberate act of Government policy, creativity and the dissemination and application of its results and to encourage fair trading which would contribute to economic and social development.
Notes
legal concept –юридическое понятие
to refer –относиться
to recognize –признавать
to grant –предоставлять
intangible assets– нематериальные активы
invention –изобретение
designs –конструкции
сommon types –наиболее распространенные типы
industrial design – промышленный образец
trade dress –товарный вид
jurisdictions –юрисдикции
sui generis –в своём роде
circuit design rights – схемотехника прав
plant breeders' rights –права селекционеров
plant variety rights –права на сорта растений
supplementary –дополнительный
database rights –права на базы данных
governing –регулирующий
commonplace –обычное явление
respectively –соответственно
WIPO (world international property organization) – всемирная организация интеллектуальной собственности (ВОИС)
the WIPO treaty –договор ВОИС
related –соответствующие
to premise –базироваться
notion –представление
maintaining –поддержание
handbook –справочник
statutory –уставной, законный
deliberate act –преднамеренный акт
dissemination –распространение
application –применение
to encourage –поощрять
to contribute –способствовать
2. Read the text again to answer the following questions:
1. What does the English word ‘intellectual property’ refer to?
2. What types of intellectual property rights do you know?
3. What are more specialized varieties of exclusive rights?
4. What example of intangible assets can you give?
5. In what century was the term intellectual property used?
6. What is seen as the origin of copyright and patent now?
7. What is WIPO treaty?
8. How many reasons does the WIPO Intellectual Property Handbook give for intellectual property laws?
9. What does the first reason for intellectual property laws comprise?
10. What is the essence of the second reason, described in the WIPO Intellectual Property Handbook?
3. Translate the following words and word combinations from English into Russian:
property, concept, law, owners, variety, intangible assets, copyright, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights, circuit, supplementary, certificates, database rights, legal, commonplace, majority, respectively, treaty, several, agreements notion, protection, essential, maintaining, growth, WIPO, handbook, reasons, statutory, expression, creations, access, deliberate act, dissemination, application, fair trading, to contribute.
4. Find the English equivalents for the following words and phrases:
интеллектуальная собственность, юридическое понятие, творения человеческого разума, исключительные права, владельцы, эксклюзивные права, нематериальные активы, открытия, изобретения, конструкции, авторские права, фирменный стиль, юрисдикция, секреты торговли, международные соглашения, экономический рост, моральные права, государственная политика, справедливая торговля.
5. Decide which sentences are true and which are false. Make the false sentences true:
1. Intellectual property is a legal concept which exclusive rights are recognized.
2. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of tangible assets.
3. Common types of intellectual property rights include copyright, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights, but not trade secrets.
4. The term intellectual property became commonplace in the majority of the world until the late 20th century.
5. The WIPO treaty is premised on the notion that the protection of intellectual property rights is essential to maintaining economic growth.
6. The WIPO Intellectual Property Handbook gives four reasons for intellectual property laws.
7. One of the reasons is to promote, as a deliberate act of Government policy and creativity.