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“While patents describe new inventions or processes that offer innovative and useful functions, other forms of intellectual property documents focus on form rather than function.” Here is a brief overview of various types of intellectual property, summarized from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office site.

Industrial design
“…is the features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament (or any combination of these features) applied to a finished article made by hand, tool or machine. It may be, for example, the shape of a table or the shape and ornamentation of a spoon. To be eligible for registration with Canada’s Industrial Design Office, the design must be original. Obtaining Canadian registration for an industrial design gives the designer exclusive rights for a period of ten years from the date of registration, provided that a maintenance fee is paid.”

Some industrial design databases:

• Canadian Industrial Design Database (CIPO)
  Canadian industrial designs registered on or after June 15, 2002. Updated weekly.
• Industrial Design Database (European Union)
  Information on European industrial designs from April 1, 2003 to the present.
• Hague Express Database of International Designs (WIPO)
  International designs from 1999 to the present.

Trademarks
“…distinguish the goods or services of one person or organization from those of another. The shape of a product or its packaging can be an aspect that distinguishes it from someone else’s product. You can register such a feature as an industrial design and later, in a separate process, as a trademark.”

Some trademark databases:

• Canadian Trade-marks Database

• USA Trademark Electronic Search System (Tess)

Copyright
“…is legal protection for an artistic endeavour. Often an industrial design is first created as a work of art, and as such, is originally protected by the Copyright Act. An artistic work is protected under the Copyright Act automatically, but a design is protected under the Industrial Design Act only if it is registered. Therefore, it may be a good idea to register your design, even if you have copyright protection for the original art.”

Canadian copyright database:

• Canadian Copyrights