Innovation 

The type of protection you need will depend on exactly what your idea is, what you want to do with it and also what level of protection you may need. Some products will require more than one type of protection. Protecting your intellectual property (IP) can be a lengthily and costly process however it can give you a competitive advantage. It may also allow you to sell your idea or invention in the future.

Types of intellectual property (IP)
The four main types of IP rights are patents, trade marks, designs and copyright. The following guide will take you through the types of protection you may wish to consider. More information about how to register for the various types of IP rights along with approximate costs and timescales involved can be found on the Intellectual Property Office website.

Intellectual Property Information on the Intellectual Property Office Website

Patents
A patent protects new inventions and covers the way things work, what they do, how they do it, what they are made of and how they are made. By applying for a patent it prevents other people from making, using, importing or selling your invention without your permission for a set period of time in the country or countries in which you hold that patent. Once granted, a patent also allows you to potentially license your invention to other people which will generate you income.

Trade marks
A trade mark is a sign, logo, symbol, word(s), sound(s) or piece of music (such as a jingle) that distinguishes your products and services from those of your competitors. A trade mark can be a useful marketing tool to help your customers recognise your business. It is important to understand that a trade mark does not describe your products or services; it is a way of protecting your brand identity.

Designs
A registered design allows you to protect the overall appearance of a product, including such things as the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture, materials and the ornamentation of the product. A registered design gives you protection from others creating designs that are similar to your design (within the geographical region which the design is registered). A registered design however only gives protection for the visual appearance of the product and not for what it is made from or how it works.

Copyright
Copyright can protect a variety of products including literary works (including novels, training documents, instruction manuals, song lyrics, and newspaper articles); dramatic works; musical works; artistic works (including paintings, photographs, architecture, technical drawings, maps, and logos); recordings of work; and broadcasts of a work. Copyright applies to any medium which means that you are not allowed to reproduce copyright protected work (in any medium) without the permission of the owner. The important thing to understand with copyright is that it is does not protect ideas for a work. It is only when the work itself is fixed, for example in writing, that copyright automatically protects it. This means that you do not have to apply for copyright.

There may be grant funding available to your business if you are making an investment in innovation. For more information and eligibility criteria please download the Jersey Innovation Initiative application form.

Download Jersey Innovation Initiative application form (66kb)
Download Jersey Innovation Initiative claims form (52kb)

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