HOW IS TECHNOLOGY PROTECTED?
Intellectual property registry
This registry protects creations of the mind. It comprises literary and artistic works, architectural designs, and computer programmes (the source code is registered, except for those which may be ‘patentable’).
Industrial property registry
If the creation solves a technical problem and has an industrial application, it can be protected under the industrial property registry.
Patent
A patent is ownership that prevents others from manufacturing, importing, commercialising, or using the object of the patent without the owner’s consent for a period of 20 years. For example, a new molecule.
Utility model
A utility model protects inventions that consist of, for example, giving an object a configuration or structure from which some utility or practical advantage is derived. For example: a surgical instrument.