Intellectual property rights
Intellectual property rights provide protection for intellectual creations and characteristics. Intellectual property rights are normally divided into copyright and industrial rights protection. “Copyright” refers to the intellectual property rights that provide protection for music, literature and other artistic creation. “Industrial rights protection” is the protection afforded to technical solutions via a patent, the protection for the appearance and form of products via design protection and the protection for trademarks and other product characteristics via trademark protection.
International agreements
Intellectual property rights are international and have been formulated in collaboration with various other countries. Most countries are affiliated to international conventions. The 1886 Berne Convention is an agreement on copyright, while the 1883 Paris Convention is an agreement on industrial rights protection. The conventions are administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), which is affiliated to the UN and based in Geneva.
The various aspects of intellectual property rights are important in different areas of our society. Patent rights play an important role in areas of technology such as electronics and pharmaceutical production. Trademark rights are important in the marketing of large volumes of goods and services, by offering protection to words and images etc. as characteristics. Copyright is important in the field of culture, the mass media and the entertainment industry.
Intellectual property rights legislation was first introduced in France after the French Revolution. At around the same time, the legislation was introduced in the USA, when authors and inventors were granted a limited-period exclusive right to their works and inventions. In Sweden, the legislation was introduced in the 19th Century. In recent decades, the legislation has been extended and intellectual property rights have acquired an ever-increasing economic significance.
