IP Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IP Law - Essay Example Firm managers carry out valuation of their patents when they are deciding whether or not to file a patent application or refurbish a patent, when computing royalties for patent licensing contracts, when calculating the value of a potential merger or acquisition, and when calculating their own corporate value. Lawyers and judges value patents in suits of patent infringement; financial institutions calculate the value of patents when they use the intangible asset as collateral for bank loans; and investors and financial analysts value patents to evaluate the cost of firms as a foundation for their investment decisions and recommendations (Hall, 1992; Martin and Drews, 2005). IP in the form of patentable technology, legally protectable trademarks and designs, copyright and others have progressively become the most crucial assets, not only for many of the worlds largest companies, but also for small and medium enterprises (Schweihs, 2002). Intellectual property (IP) is a term which refers to a number of discrete kinds of legal monopolies over conceptions of the mind, which can be either artistic or commercial. IP also includes the related areas of law (Raysman et all, 2008). A variety of intangible assets are given certain special rights under the IP law. The most common kinds of intellectual property include trademarks, copyrights, industrial design rights, patents, and trade enigmas in some jurisdictions. According to Sherman and Bently (1999), â€Å"The British Statute of Anne 1710 and the Statute of Monopolies 1623 are now seen as the origin of copyright and patent law respectively.† Originality is one of the most important terms which are related to copyright. Presently the term ‘originality’ is used by law as a touchstone in evaluating when and why something can be copyrighted. England’s conventional criterion for originality was a Lockeanderived industriousness criterion, according to which the work must spring up from the author at