The number of suspects referred to U.S. attorneys with an IP theft-related lead charge increased 26% from 1994-2002.
From 1994 to 2002 the number of cases in which plaintiffs sought civil remedies related to patent, trademark, and copyright infringement increased 20% to 8,254.
During 2002, 88% of defendants with IP offense as their most serious offense were convicted.
Intellectual Property - Contact a Lawyer
Intellectual Property : What is it?
Intellectual property law protects the creative works of authors, composers, designers, and inventors from being pirated. There are four basic categories of intellectual property: copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. Generally, each category is used with different types of material and affords different protections. Copyrights protect original works of authorship from the moment they are created and fixed in a tangible form. Patents protect new and useful machines, articles, substances, or processes through exclusive rights granted by the federal government to their inventors. Trademarks protect identifying marks that distinguish goods or services, such as names, logos, designs, emblems, and distinctive sounds and smells. Trade secrets protect confidential business information or "proprietary information," such as business plans, chemical formulas, and customer lists.
