Intellectual property

Intellectual property is the rights associated with intellectual activity in the literary, artistic, scientific and industrial fields. The Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) defines the term intellectual property as a set of rights relating specifically to:

• literary, artistic and scientific works
• artists' performance
• sound recordings and radio and television broadcasts,
• inventions in all fields of human activity
• scientific discoveries
• industrial designs
• trademarks
• service marks
• trade names and trade indications
• Protection against unfair competition

And any other rights concerning intellectual property in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields.

Intellectual property is divided into two basic categories:

• copyright (works) and related rights
• industrial property (inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, geographical indications and topographies of integrated circuits).

A separate group of intellectual property objects is know-how.

Pursuant to Article 11(4) of the Act on Fighting Unfair Competition, a business secret is technical, technological and organisational information of the company or other information of economic value that has not been disclosed to the public and in respect of which the entrepreneur has taken necessary steps to maintain its confidentiality.