Happy New Year 2014

Statistics about International IP filings

Every year WIPO-World Intellectual Property Organisation discloses the statistics about IP filings worldwide. The applications are filed under International Conventions in the year 2012.

Let’s see the details of International Conventions/Treaty.

1. PCT- Patent Cooperation Treaty- for filing Patents transnational

2. Madrid Convention/Protocol-for protecting Trademarks in worldwide markets

3. Hague Convention- International Designs Application

1. Patent Cooperation Treaty

Info graphics system of WIPO published about the details of countries who filed most number of PCT applications under the International Conventions. Totally 194,400 PCT applications are filed in the year 2012. There is an increase of 6.6% of PCT filing. Chinese telecommunication company ZTE was the largest filer in 2012.

Top Countries- PCT Applications

USA	51,207
Japan	43,660
Germany	18,855
China	18,627

Republic 

of Korea        11,848

Top 5 Technologies

Electrical Machinery	13,293
Digital Communication	12,616
Computer Technology	12,391
Medical Technology	11,348
Pharmaceuticals	7,792

Source: WIPO- Infographics-2013

Record Player-Gramophone

Record Player-Gramophone

Patent document - Phonograph- Thomas Alva Edison

Early attempts were made all over Europe and USA by several scientists to invent a better machine to record and play the sounds & music.

Phonograph: 

In the year 1877 Thomas Alva Edison successfully invented his tin-foil machine to record and reproduce sounds.Thomas Edison’s product was marketed under the trade mark “Phonograph”.  The sound was recorded in a round cylinder and then reproduced using the Phonograph.

Graphophone:

Alexander Graham Bell invented another machine to record and reproduce sounds. He named it as “Graphophone” and used wax cylinders which helped him to play the same for so many times. But mass reproduction of the music or sound is impossible because of each cylinder had to be recorded separately.

Gramophone: 

Emile Berliner, a German immigrant working in USA patented a successful machine for sound recording and played the same. Emile Berlin recorded on flat disks or records and stopped to record on Cylinders.The sound/music was etched into the flat disks/records in the form of spiral groove. 

GRAMOPHONE 

The record was rotated on the gramophone. The turntable revolved at an even speed with the help of a spring motor. The Spring Motor was patented by Elridge Johnson for the Berliner gramophone. A needle in the tip of the arm was used to read the grooves in the record by vibration. The Gramophone speaker played back the sound/music information recorded in the disk/record.

Hence the name record player got its name from Berliner's disks (records). These records were the first sound recordings which were produced at mass for commercial exploitation. 

Copyrights and its uses

　

COPYRIGHTS AND ITS USES

 

THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS ARE AVAILABLE TO THE COPYRIGHT OWNER

a. Rights of reproduction,

b. Communication to the public,

c. Adaptation and translation of the work

TERM OF COPYRIGHT

a. Generally for the period of 60 years

b. In case of original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works the 60-year period is counted from the year following the death of the author.

ADVANTAGES

1. Valid in more than 100 Countries under Berne Convention.

2. No need to renew the copyright certificate.

3. One time investment for creating rights upto two generation.

4. Exclusive right to use, adapt, sale, translate and copy your own works.

5. If someone else uses your work without your permission, owner can take legal action.

LEGAL ACTIONS

INFRINGEMENTS:

A copyright owner can take legal action against any person who does the following acts with respect to the copyrighted work.

a. Copies for sale or hire or selling or letting them for hire;

b. Distributing infringing copies;

c. Public exhibition of infringing copies by way of trade; and

d. Importation of infringing copies into India.

REMEDIES:

The copyright owner is entitled to the following remedies by way of

1. Injunctions,

2. Damages [in terms of money]

3. Seizure of the infringing materials and

4. Rendering the accounts.