(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Interior design students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, recently received a guest lecture about intellectual property laws and how they can protect their creative works as they prepare to venture into the market.
Mahmoud Abuwasel, Associate at Qatari law firm Sultan Al Abdulla & Partners (SAP), provided the students with a roundup of the legal framework related to corporate and intellectual property in Qatar and the several types of different legal forms and structures available in Qatar as part of SAP's corporate social responsibility and community engagement initiatives.
The lecture is a collaboration between SAP and the University aimed at providing expert and practical insight for the business classes offered for senior year students. Abuwasel explained that IP covers the 'creations of the mind and which include trademarks and copyrights. Abuwasel emphasized the importance of this to interior design professionals to protect their creative works.
Intellectual property is an intangible asset of a natural person or business that should be protected, not only to prevent unauthorized use, but also to protect its financial value. Qatar is a signatory to international conventions on intellectual property, including the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
Abuwasel said that under the Berne Convention copyright protection is automatically granted to creative works published on the internet or any other medium. A precautionary measure creators can take is to draft appropriate copyright statement linked to the works. However, if an infringement is detected, action can be taken before the courts of the jurisdiction in which the infringement has taken place to obtain an injunction against the unauthorised use and/or claim for damages.
Abuwasel additionally referred to Qatar's Trademarks Law which also grants an individual whose trademark rights have been transgressed upon to apply for a court ordered injunction and/or claim for damages.
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