Types of Intellectual Property and Their Management

The identifiable and protectable types of intellectual property arising from research conducted at the University of Latvia are as follows:

Patent – exclusive rights granted by the state for an invention (a device, substance, method, or biological material) that is new, involves an inventive step, and is capable of industrial application.

Know-how – a body of practical information that is not generally known or easily accessible, is described in a sufficiently comprehensive manner, and is significant and useful for direct or indirect application.

Plant variety – a plant grouping within a single botanical taxon of the lowest known rank, regardless of whether the conditions for granting breeders’ rights are fully met. It can be defined by the expression of characteristics resulting from a given genotype or combination of genotypes and is distinguishable from any other plant grouping by at least one identifiable characteristic. A plant variety is considered a unit that remains unchanged when propagated.

Trademark – a sign used to distinguish the goods or services of one person from those of others.

Design (industrial design) – the external appearance of a product or part thereof, resulting from the features of the product or its ornamentation, in particular lines, contours, colours, shape, surface texture, or materials used.

The University of Latvia has approved regulations governing the management of intellectual property rights, which define in more detail the procedures for the identification, evaluation, registration, and maintenance of intellectual property:

Regulations on the Management of Intellectual Property Rights at the University of Latvia - Regulations on the Identification, Evaluation, Registration, and Maintenance of Intellectual Property at the University of Latvia.