--- title: "Intellectual property · Academy · Guides | Pitch" description: "Intellectual property: plain-English guides from the Pitch Academy, newest first." url: https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/intellectual-property --- Academy · Guides # Intellectual property Protecting your creative achievements and innovations against unauthorised use. From trademark law to copyright, patents to trade names — we ensure your unique ideas and business assets are legally secured. Our specialists guide you through registration, licensing and enforcement, so you can innovate with confidence while your competitive edge remains protected. Type - [All](https://www.pitch.law/academy/topics/intellectual-property) - [Guides](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/intellectual-property) - [News](https://www.pitch.law/academy/news/topics/intellectual-property) Topic - [All topics](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides) - [Intellectual property](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/intellectual-property) - [Patents](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/patents) - [New gTLDs](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/gtld) - [Information Technology](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/information-technology) - [Privacy & Data Protection](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/privacy) - [Commercial](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/commercial) - [Corporate and M\&A](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/corporate-m-a) - [Tax](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/tax) - [Legal Aspects of Artificial Intelligence](https://www.pitch.law/academy/guides/topics/legal-aspects-of-artificial-intelligence) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/protecting-software-intellectual-property) ### [Can I Protect My Software?](https://www.pitch.law/academy/protecting-software-intellectual-property) [Software is protected by copyright, sometimes by patent, and by trade secret law. This article explains what each protects, who owns the code, and how the rights combine.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/protecting-software-intellectual-property) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/udrp-and-domain-name-disputes) ### [Domain Name Disputes: the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy](https://www.pitch.law/academy/udrp-and-domain-name-disputes) [How a bad-faith domain name can be recovered under the UDRP and URS, and under the separate procedure for .eu names, under country-code procedures, or through the courts.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/udrp-and-domain-name-disputes) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/hidden-intellectual-property-audit) ### [Finding the IP You Already Have](https://www.pitch.law/academy/hidden-intellectual-property-audit) [Most companies own more intellectual property than they have registered. This article explains which rights arise without registration, how an IP audit finds them, and why ownership matters.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/hidden-intellectual-property-audit) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/how-to-value-ip-portfolio) ### [How to Value an IP Portfolio](https://www.pitch.law/academy/how-to-value-ip-portfolio) [Why and when an IP portfolio is valued, the three standard valuation approaches, and the legal facts that decide whether a right is worth what its owner thinks.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/how-to-value-ip-portfolio) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-lifecycle-management) ### [IP Lifecycle Management: the Stages of an IP Right](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-lifecycle-management) [Every IP right is created, protected, maintained, used and ends one day. The stages of IP lifecycle management, their legal terms and the choices at each.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-lifecycle-management) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-transfer-licensing-recordals) ### [Transferring and Licensing a Trademark](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-transfer-licensing-recordals) [How assignments and licences of EU and Benelux trademarks work, why they should be recorded, and how customs recordals fit in.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-transfer-licensing-recordals) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-clearance-search-explained) ### [What Is a Trademark Clearance Search?](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-clearance-search-explained) [A clearance search checks, before you file or launch, whether earlier rights stand in the way of a new mark. This article explains what it covers, what it cannot do and how to read the result.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-clearance-search-explained) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-watch-service-explained) ### [What Is a Trademark Watch?](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-watch-service-explained) [A trademark watch tells you when someone files a mark that resembles yours, while opposition is still possible. This article explains why it matters, how it works and what it cannot do.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-watch-service-explained) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/euipo-fast-track-filing) ### [EUIPO Fast Track](https://www.pitch.law/academy/euipo-fast-track-filing) [Fast Track speeds up examination of EU trade mark applications that use pre-approved wording. This article explains what it is, what it does not change and when it makes sense.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/euipo-fast-track-filing) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-cost-planning-budgeting-for-multi-jurisdiction-filings) ### [IP Cost Planning for Multi-Jurisdiction Filings](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-cost-planning-budgeting-for-multi-jurisdiction-filings) [What a trademark portfolio costs depends on routes, classes and countries as much as on the number of marks. This article sets out the cost elements and how to plan them over the life of a mark.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/ip-cost-planning-budgeting-for-multi-jurisdiction-filings) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/managing-your-ip-deadlines) ### [Managing Your IP Deadlines](https://www.pitch.law/academy/managing-your-ip-deadlines) [Which time limits matter in trademark, design and patent matters, which of them can be extended, what happens when one is missed, and how a reliable deadline process is built.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/managing-your-ip-deadlines) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/the-nice-classification-explained) ### [Nice Classification: How the 45 Classes Work](https://www.pitch.law/academy/the-nice-classification-explained) [The Nice Classification sorts goods and services into 45 trademark classes (software, for example, is in class 9). How to choose classes and word them.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/the-nice-classification-explained) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/online-brand-protection-how-brand-monitoring-works) ### [Online Brand Protection: How Brand Monitoring Works](https://www.pitch.law/academy/online-brand-protection-how-brand-monitoring-works) [How infringements of a trademark are found online, which rules decide whether they are unlawful, and which routes exist to stop them.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/online-brand-protection-how-brand-monitoring-works) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/renewal-management-for-ip-portfolios) ### [Renewal Management for IP Portfolios](https://www.pitch.law/academy/renewal-management-for-ip-portfolios) [How renewals of trademarks, designs and patents work, what the grace periods are, how to decide which rights to keep, and the invoice scams to avoid.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/renewal-management-for-ip-portfolios) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-registration-from-application-to-registration) ### [Trademark Registration: From Application to Registration](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-registration-from-application-to-registration) [How a trademark application moves through the EUIPO, the Benelux office (BOIP) and the Madrid System, what happens after registration, and what keeps a registered mark in force.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-registration-from-application-to-registration) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/understanding-trademark-similarity) ### [Understanding Trademark Similarity](https://www.pitch.law/academy/understanding-trademark-similarity) [Whether two marks conflict depends on how similar they are and how close the goods are. This article explains the test and how its elements are weighed.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/understanding-trademark-similarity) * [Guide](https://www.pitch.law/academy/when-to-oppose-a-trademark) ### [When to Oppose a Trademark](https://www.pitch.law/academy/when-to-oppose-a-trademark) [Opposition lets the owner of an earlier right challenge a new trademark application before it is registered. This article explains the conditions, the deadlines and the factors that decide whether to proceed.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/when-to-oppose-a-trademark) ## Let’s talk Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll get the right person on it and reply within one business day. The first chat is free. [Schedule a meeting](https://www.pitch.law/schedule)