text: Copyright arises automatically – it does not need to be applied for – and lasts 70 years after the death of the author.
  Database rights apply to databases which are not protected by copyright (an EU right only – maximum duration is 15 years).
  Design right applies to aspects of the shape or configuration of an article. Unregistered design right (which covers computer chips, for example) can protect internal or external features. In the case of registered designs, the features must appeal to and be judged by the eye. (Registered design rights are protected for a maximum of 25 years.)
  A trade mark is a mark (logo) or other distinctive sign applied to or associated with products or services, which does not describe the products or services. (Once registered the trademark IPR is unlimited.)
  Confidential information is knowledge which only you possess and which you have only revealed under a non-disclosure/confidentiality agreement.
  Successful management of IPR provides the means by which individuals and institutions are able to protect their creative output from imitators.
  An understanding of IP and IPRs is an increasingly important aspect of University and business life. Now, more than ever, IP is recognised as a tradable commodity.