Ideas, creative work and brands can be among the most valuable assets of individuals and businesses. Intellectual property law protects them. Here is how protection works in Iceland.
Copyright
Copyright automatically protects original works such as texts, music, art, photographs and software from the moment they are created. No registration is needed.
The author has the exclusive right to copy and publish the work, and protection generally lasts for 70 years after the author's death.
Trademarks
A trademark distinguishes a company's goods and services from those of others. Registering it with the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (Hugverkastofan) gives you the exclusive right to use it in Iceland.
A registered trademark is far easier to enforce than an unregistered one. If you already have an EU trademark, note that it does not cover Iceland, which is outside the EU.
Patents
Patents protect inventions, meaning new technical solutions. A patent gives the holder the exclusive right to exploit the invention for up to 20 years.
The process is formal: the invention must be new, inventive and industrially applicable, and it must not have been made public before you apply.
When your rights are infringed
If someone uses your intellectual property without permission, you can demand that the use stops and claim compensation for your loss. Act quickly and keep evidence of the infringement.
A lawyer can assess your position and enforce your rights. These cases fall under intellectual property and copyright law.
Contracts about your work
Licences, commissions and employment contracts decide who owns or may use creative work. Clear agreements on ownership and use prevent many disputes, for example between a company and the designer or developer it hires.
Protect what you create
Find a lawyer under intellectual property and copyright law or browse lawyers in your region.