Importance of Protecting Intellectual Property in the Digital Age
Technological advancements in the past decade were such that there have been regular revolutionary changes and exponential growth in information technology. The innovation cycle has also considerably reduced, as there seems to be an invention time and again. Along with astounding discoveries comes the challenges of protecting intellectual property rights in the digital era. Intellectual property rights have branched out to cover a host of elements including the intangible assets of your brand. This article explains the importance of intellectual property protection in the digital age.
Today it is no more about registering your business name or securing a trademark.
Why is it Important to Protect Intellectual Property?
The Internet has made it easier for people to access journals, publications, and any piece of information that is digital. This is leading to several users thinking that any information on the internet can be reproduced because it is available in the public domain. After the lockdown was declared, according to renowned sources, there was a growing incidence of fake domains being created that had copyright-protected information in them.
Examples of IP Protection in the Digital Arena
In 2019, The Guardian, a British news website had accused a journalist from another country of plagiarizing passages from a Guardian article in the newspaper column that she wrote for.
Several brands such as North Face have also been struck by PR disasters owing to internet scams that they had indulged in. While everybody wants to be at the top of search engine results, it is not wise to get there by hook or crook. North Face plotted a plan to swap Wikipedia images with their images so that their pictures are the first to appear on Google. In a matter of a few days, Wikipedia noticed it and accused North Face of illicitly using their educational platform for free advertisement.
The above cases highlight why it is the need of the hour to secure your IP rights and successfully enforce copyright in this digital age.
Government Initiatives on How to Protect your Intellectual Property
In 1998, an act was passed in the United States that aimed to prohibit unauthorized access and exploitation of protected works on the internet by applying two treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This was seen as a tremendous move towards embracing intellectual property rights and integrating legal protection in the digital scenario.
There are many kinds of IP laws to protect digital publications and access rights of digitized archives. IP in digital terms is not just about trademarks and copyrights. There exists a separate form of rights called database rights, which are not usually discussed.
In the United Kingdom, Open Data Commons is a group that has introduced a set of legal tools and database laws that control accessibility and use of data sets. They have implemented schemes to demarcate the public domain data from restricted versions of data. They achieve this by classifying the various kinds of data depending on the extent to which the information can be accessed and used by third parties with authorization and consent from the author.
Conclusion
Have you realised the importance of your intellectual property protection? Do you keep wondering if your work is prone to plagiarism? Our seasoned team of experts has a strategy ready for you that will keep your intellectual property under lock and key. Get in touch with our expert attorneys through connect@abounaja.com.
