One product. More than one kind of intellectual property.

Start with what makes the product valuable

The gearbox on this website is an illustrative way to separate four questions. It is not a real client invention and does not establish that any depicted feature would qualify for protection. Its purpose is to make the conversation easier to begin.

The mechanism and the identity

Patent protection concerns inventions, while trademarks distinguish the commercial source of goods or services. An internal mechanism and the name on its casing can therefore raise different IP questions. WIPO: patents · WIPO: trademarks.

The appearance and the original work

Industrial design protection concerns ornamental or aesthetic aspects of a product. Copyright concerns original expression, such as drawings or written material, rather than the underlying idea. Which protection is available and how rights overlap require a closer look at the work and relevant market. WIPO: industrial designs · WIPO: copyright.

Use an asset map, not a checklist of registrations

Put the product at the centre of a short internal map. Around it, list the technology, name, appearance, software, documents and valuable internal know-how. For each item, note who created it, who may own it, whether it has been shared and which part of the business depends on it.

The point is not to file everything. It is to identify the questions that deserve professional attention and keep the different decisions connected. This also makes a first discussion more concrete than asking, “Can I protect the whole idea?”