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English

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Chinese

Intellectual Property Analysis

知识产权分析

Overview

概述

IP law protects creations of the mind through four main mechanisms: patents (inventions), trademarks (brand identifiers), copyrights (creative works), and trade secrets (confidential business information). Each has different requirements, scope, duration, and costs.

知识产权法通过四种主要机制保护智力成果：Patent（发明）、Trademark（品牌标识）、Copyright（创意作品）和Trade Secret（商业机密）。每种机制的要求、适用范围、保护期限和成本各不相同。

Framework

核心框架

IRON LAW: Match the Protection to the Asset

A brand name is protected by TRADEMARK, not copyright.
Software source code is protected by COPYRIGHT, not patent (usually).
A manufacturing process is protected by PATENT or TRADE SECRET.
Using the wrong mechanism leaves the asset unprotected.

IRON LAW: Match the Protection to the Asset

品牌名称受Trademark保护，而非Copyright。
软件源代码通常受Copyright保护，而非Patent。
制造工艺受Patent或Trade Secret保护。
使用错误的保护机制会导致资产不受保护。

The Four IP Types

四种知识产权类型

Type	Protects	Requirements	Duration	Registration
Patent	Novel, non-obvious, useful inventions	Must be new, inventive, industrially applicable	20 years from filing	Required (申請制)
Trademark	Brand names, logos, slogans that identify source	Must be distinctive (not generic/descriptive)	10 years, renewable indefinitely	Required for full protection
Copyright	Original creative works (text, code, art, music)	Must be original expression (not ideas or facts)	Life + 50 years (Taiwan)	Automatic (no registration needed)
Trade Secret	Confidential business information with economic value	Must be secret, have value from secrecy, reasonable efforts to maintain secrecy	Indefinite (as long as secret is kept)	No registration — protect through NDAs and access controls

类型	保护对象	要求	保护期限	注册要求
Patent	新颖、非显而易见且具有实用性的发明	必须具备新颖性、创造性和工业实用性	自申请日起20年	需要注册（申请制）
Trademark	用于标识来源的品牌名称、标志、标语	必须具有显著性（非通用/描述性词汇）	10年，可无限期续展	需注册以获得全面保护
Copyright	原创创意作品（文本、代码、艺术作品、音乐）	必须是原创表达（而非想法或事实）	作者终生加50年（台湾地区）	自动生效（无需注册）
Trade Secret	具有经济价值的机密商业信息	必须处于保密状态、因保密具有价值，且已采取合理措施维持保密	无固定期限（只要机密状态得以维持）	无需注册——通过保密协议（NDA）和访问控制进行保护

IP Audit Steps

知识产权审计步骤

Inventory: What potentially protectable assets does the organization have?
Classify: Which IP type fits each asset?
Assess current protection: Is each asset already protected? How?
Identify gaps: What's unprotected or under-protected?
Prioritize: Which assets are most valuable and most at risk?
Recommend: Registration, contractual protection, or operational security for each asset

盘点：企业拥有哪些潜在可受保护的资产？
分类：每项资产适合哪种知识产权类型？
评估现有保护状况：每项资产是否已受保护？保护方式是什么？
识别缺口：哪些资产未受保护或保护不足？
优先级排序：哪些资产价值最高、风险最大？
建议：为每项资产提供注册、合同保护或运营安全方面的建议

Key Decision: Patent vs Trade Secret

关键决策：Patent vs Trade Secret

Factor	Patent	Trade Secret
Can competitors reverse-engineer it?	Yes → Patent	No → Trade Secret may be better
Is independent discovery likely?	Yes → Patent (blocks them)	No → Trade Secret may suffice
How long does the advantage last?	< 20 years → Patent	> 20 years → Trade Secret
Can you detect infringement?	Yes → Patent is enforceable	No → Patent is hard to enforce
Example	Pharmaceutical compound	Coca-Cola recipe

考量因素	Patent	Trade Secret
竞争对手能否逆向工程？	是 → 选择Patent	否 → Trade Secret可能更合适
是否可能被独立研发出来？	是 → 选择Patent（阻止竞争对手）	否 → Trade Secret可能足够
竞争优势能维持多久？	少于20年 → 选择Patent	超过20年 → 选择Trade Secret
能否发现侵权行为？	是 → Patent可执行性强	否 → Patent难以执行
示例	药物化合物	可口可乐配方

Output Format

输出格式

markdown

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markdown

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IP Analysis: {Company/Product}

知识产权分析：{企业/产品}

IP Asset Inventory

知识产权资产盘点

Asset	Type	Current Protection	Gap	Priority
{asset}	Patent/TM/Copyright/TS	{status}	{what's missing}	H/M/L

资产	类型	现有保护状况	缺口	优先级
{asset}	Patent/Trademark/Copyright/Trade Secret	{status}	{what's missing}	H/M/L

Recommendations

建议

{asset}: {recommended action} — {rationale}

{asset}: {recommended action} — {rationale}

Risk Assessment

风险评估

Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Mitigation
{IP risk}	H/M/L	H/M/L	{action}

undefined

风险	可能性	影响	缓解措施
{IP风险}	H/M/L	H/M/L	{action}

undefined

Examples

示例

Correct Application

正确应用场景

Scenario: IP audit for a Taiwanese SaaS startup

Asset	Type	Protection	Gap
Brand name "CloudPOS"	Trademark	Not registered	🔴 Register with TIPO immediately
POS algorithm for demand forecasting	Trade Secret or Patent	None	🔴 Decide patent vs trade secret, implement NDAs
Source code	Copyright	Automatic ✓	🟡 Ensure employment contracts assign IP to company
Customer data processing method	Trade Secret	No access controls	🔴 Implement access controls + NDA with employees

Key recommendation: File trademark first (fast, cheap, high risk of name-squatting). Patent decision can wait until product-market fit ✓

场景： 台湾SaaS初创公司的知识产权审计

资产	类型	保护状况	缺口
品牌名称 "CloudPOS"	Trademark	未注册	🔴 立即向TIPO（台湾智慧财产局）注册
需求预测POS算法	Trade Secret或Patent	无	🔴 决定采用Patent还是Trade Secret，签署保密协议（NDA）
源代码	Copyright	自动生效 ✓	🟡 确保雇佣合同约定知识产权归公司所有
客户数据处理方法	Trade Secret	无访问控制	🔴 实施访问控制并与员工签署保密协议（NDA）

核心建议：优先注册Trademark（流程快、成本低，品牌抢注风险高）。Patent的决策可等到产品-市场匹配完成后再做 ✓

Incorrect Application

错误应用场景

"We'll copyright our brand name" → Brand names are protected by trademark, not copyright. Copyright protects creative expression, not identifiers. Violates Iron Law: match protection to asset.

"我们将为品牌名称申请Copyright保护" → 品牌名称受Trademark保护，而非Copyright。Copyright保护创意表达，而非标识类内容。这违反了核心原则：保护机制需与资产类型匹配。

Gotchas

注意事项

Ideas are NOT protectable: Copyright protects expression, not ideas. Patent protects specific implementations. The "idea" for an app is not IP — the specific code, design, or invention is.
Employee-created IP: In Taiwan, IP created by employees during employment generally belongs to the employer (Copyright Act Art. 11, Patent Act Art. 7), but contracts should make this explicit.
Open source ≠ no IP: Open source software has copyright — the license grants permissions, not ownership. Violating license terms is copyright infringement.
First-to-file for patents: Taiwan uses first-to-file (not first-to-invent). If you delay filing, a competitor who files first gets the patent even if you invented it earlier.
This is educational guidance, not legal advice: IP strategy requires consultation with a licensed patent attorney or IP specialist.

想法不受保护：Copyright保护的是表达形式，而非想法。Patent保护的是具体实现方案。应用程序的“想法”不属于知识产权——具体的代码、设计或发明才是。
员工创作的知识产权：在台湾地区，员工受雇期间创作的知识产权通常归雇主所有（《著作权法》第11条、《专利法》第7条），但应在合同中明确约定。
开源≠无知识产权：开源软件受Copyright保护——许可证授予的是使用权限，而非所有权。违反许可证条款属于Copyright侵权。
专利先申请制：台湾地区采用先申请制（而非先发明制）。若延迟申请，即使你是先发明者，竞争对手先提交申请也会获得Patent。
本内容为教育指导，非法律建议：制定知识产权策略需咨询持牌专利律师或知识产权专家。

References

参考资料

For Taiwan TIPO (智慧財產局) filing procedures, see
```
references/tipo-procedures.md
```

台湾地区TIPO（台湾智慧财产局）的申请流程，请参阅
```
references/tipo-procedures.md
```