Trade Marks

Protects brand identifiers — names, logos, slogans, and sometimes sounds or colours — that distinguish your goods or services from competitors. Registration gives you exclusive rights to use the mark in your registered classes and is essential before serious investment in branding, packaging, or marketing.

Copyright

Automatically protects original creative and literary works — website content, marketing copy, software code, photography, designs, and training materials — from the moment they're created. No registration is needed in most jurisdictions, but ownership can get murky with freelancers or employees, so contracts matter.

Patents

Protects new, useful, and non-obvious inventions — products, processes, or technical solutions — giving the owner exclusive rights to make, use, or sell the invention for a limited period (typically 20 years). Requires formal application and examination, and the invention must be kept confidential before filing.

Designs (Registered Designs)

Protects the visual appearance of a product — its shape, configuration, pattern, or ornamentation — rather than how it functions. Useful for product packaging, furniture, fashion items, or any product where look and feel drive purchasing decisions.

Trade Secrets / Confidential Information

Protects valuable business information that isn't publicly known — formulas, customer lists, processes, pricing models — through secrecy rather than registration. Relies entirely on internal controls like NDAs, access restrictions, and employment contracts, since once disclosed, protection is generally lost.

Domain Names

While not strictly "IP" in the traditional sense, domain names are a critical business asset closely tied to trade mark rights. Securing the right domain (and defending it against cybersquatting) is often the first practical step in protecting an online brand.