Fisher (2001) in his publication Theories of Intellectual Property explained that “the fortunes of many businesses now depend heavily on intellectual property rights.” He stated that “a growing percentage of the legal profession specializes in intellectual property disputes and lawmakers throughout the world are busily revising their intellectual property laws.” According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), intellectual property “refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names, and images used in commerce.” It refers to intangible properties and other legal rights that are protected by state and federal legislation.
Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets are all categories of intellectual property in the United States. Patents are legal rights awarded to creators of unique procedures, equipment, and/or goods; Copyright provides artists and authors exclusive rights to their work, allowing them to produce and sell copies, as well as perform or exhibit their work publicly; Trademarks are created to protect any name, logo, or words used in business to differentiate one entity from another; Trade secret refers to a company’s private information that is not widely recognized by rivals. Information that is confidential and has economic worth is protected as a trade secret.
Intellectual Property Lawsuits
According to a 2020 article published by uscourts.gov, the number of intellectual property lawsuits filed in US courts has risen substantially. The report explained that “from 1996 to 2018, California, New York, and Texas had the most intellectual property filings in the country. By filing type, California had the most copyright filings and trademark filings, while Texas had the most patent filings.”
Some of the intellectual property cases at the Supreme Court Of The United States include Already, Llc v. Nike, Inc, Allen v. Cooper, Golan v. Holder, Kappos V. Hyatt, Iancu V. Brunetti.
So with the growing use of animation in US courts and in courtrooms across the world, its application to intellectual property litigation isn’t left out. In a case of infringement of intellectual property e.g. patent, copyright, trademark, etc, animations can be used to explain how patented materials function to a layman. Surely, complexities and the technicalities of a patented material or new invention can be explained and broken down with animation to defend your intellectual property from infringement and theft.
Click here to see Intellectual Property Reconstruction carried out by Fox Animated Engineering.
