After so much hard work to create and filing your intellectual property, protecting it from unauthorized use is one of the most important steps to take. Singapore has legal policies to ensure the protection of intellectual property from exploitation. However, you still have to make an effort towards ensuring that the work is given absolute protection. The responsibility of detecting intellectual property (IP) infringement or piracy is left to the owners of the property.

Government agencies mandated with intellectual property protection could be helpful in detecting and prosecuting cases of infringement. But, they may not always be readily available and effective in securing intellectual property rights. Hence, it is important to know how to easily get help in the event of infringement without waiting for government authorities to take action.

What is Intellectual property Infringement?

Intellectual property refers to products or services developed by human intelligence such as artistic creations, trade secrets andtrademarks. Intellectually property covers a variety of creations like the works produced by musicians, inventors, scientists, artists and authors. Generally, intellectual property deals with works created for the purpose of art, science or education. The reason for intellectual property protection is to prevent the unauthorized use or duplication of ideas or concepts.  

Through intellectual property rights, creators or inventors are accorded the final say whenever one requires to use their work. Owners of intellectual property are accorded exclusive rights to use, publish or distribute their work. As a result of this, there are legal actions outlined by the authorities, which can be taken against those who use works that are protected by intellectual property rights without the consent of the owners. Intellectual property infringement, hence refers to the unauthorized use of any piece of work that is covered by copyright or patent.  

Forms of Intellectual property infringement

Since intellectual property rights protect a wide range of creations, infringement can take several forms including;

• Patent infringement

Patents are usually issued in the form of licenses. Infringement arises when an individual or group of people make, use, sell or offer to sell, works that are patented without the permission of the owner. In some countries, patent infringement can also be committed by importing products that are created through patented means into a country. Persons who encourage others to infringe patented works or parts of them through distribution could also be prosecuted for infringement.

• Trademark infringement

A trademark is a tool of identity, which can be used by a company or organization to differentiate itself from others. In the event that another person or company uses the trademark without the authority of the owner, they are liable to trademark infringement. Besides, violation can also occur when someone creates a trademark that is almost similar to that of another party or causes confusion in its identity.

• Copyright infringement

Copyright infringement occurs when one party uses the works of another, which are protected by copyright laws. Copyright gives the owner of the work exclusive rights for its publication, distribution or re-production. Therefore, violation hinders the owner of copyrighted work from enjoying the exclusive rights since it allows others to use the work without permission.

• Trade secrets infringement

Companies usually have secrets such as, information about trade agreements, processing methods, employees among others. Disclosing such information without the consent of the company can impact losses and also deter its success.

What to do in the event of Intellectual Property Infringement

Since most of the intellectual property are intangible, it can sometimes be very challenging to detect infringement. Besides, technologies like the internet and digital devices have made it easy for people to copy and distribute intellectual property. Such violations are not easy to handle since they require skills, proper tools and effective techniques. However, the intellectual property infringement can cause huge losses to authors, artists, musicians and inventors.

In the event that your intellectual property rights have been infringed, the first step should be finding out the culprit and extent of damage. Since most of these actions are done by people who are skilled in the use of technology, conducting the investigations also require experts. A private investigator can help you with carrying out investigations to determine the persons behind the infringement and their activities.

Although there are laws that protect intellectual property, filing an infringement case in court requires that you have sufficient evidence to prove the action. Therefore, you need someone who can carry out effective investigations into the matter. Through proper investigations, you will be able to get adequate evidence for intellectual property infringement.

Apart from investigating cases of intellectual property violations, a private investigator can also keep an eye on activities related to your work in order to detect such actions before more damage is done. This is also important because you may not have the time and technologies to keep track of how people use your work.

The Benefits of a Private Investigator in Intellectual Property Infringement

Intellectual property is protected by an array of laws, which requires someone who truly understands all the procedures. A private investigator for intellectual property infringement has proper training and experience with such cases, and can always offer you professional advice and guidance on how to handle them.

Investigators have well-structured procedures and tools to use in monitoring the use of intellectual property. As a result of this, they can easily unearth information about any violations on your rights. With the evidence, they can also assist you in initiating a court process to ensure justice is done in case your work has been pirated.

Private investigators are also swift in their actions to ensure that you are able to get to the bottom of the case within the shortest time. Since investigations on intellectual property can keep changing in terms of tactics, undertaking the procedures on your own can be time consuming and hectic. Through an investigator, you can continue with your normal schedule as professionals handle the case.

Just like other forms of investigations, intellectual property infringement investigations also require high standards of confidentiality and precision. These are guarantees that only a private investigator can offer.