Intellectual Property
This page is brought to you by ECA and IP Australia
Intellectual property (IP) rights protect your ideas. It could include a brand, logo, invention, design or artistic work, or new plant variety. IP rights legally protect your idea and give you the exclusive rights to profit from them.
The most common types of registered IP rights are:
- Trade marks – protect logos, words and other branding. You can check potential availability of your trade mark using IP Australia’s TM Checker tool
- Patents – protect inventions and new processes
- Designs rights – protects the visual design of a product
- Plant breeder’s rights – protect the commercial rights of new plant varieties.
Your idea must be new or original, but determining whether your idea is new is not always easy.
Use IP Australia’s online business resources to help you protect your ideas.
Applying for an IP right to protect your idea can be critical if you want to build a business and establish your presence in a market.
Protecting your IP overseas
Protection of your IP in Australia doesn’t automatically protect it internationally. If you operate all or parts of your business overseas, you may want to register IP in that country. For more information about keeping your IP protected as you expand your business overseas, visit the IP Australia website.
To learn more about IP and what it means for your business, please visit IP Australia’s website.
