skip to content skip to navigate

  • Business grants portal

    Apply for and manage a grant or program for your business.

  • Research and Development Tax Incentive portal

    Manage your interactions with the R&D Tax Incentive program.

business.gov.au
  • Registrations
    • Registrations your business needs
    • Register for an ABN
    • Register a business name
    • Register for taxes
      • Tax registration for your business
      • Register for a tax file number (TFN)
      • Register for fringe benefits tax (FBT)
      • Register for fuel tax credits
      • Register for goods and services tax (GST)
      • Register for pay as you go (PAYG) withholding
    • Register licences and permits
    • Register a company
    • Register a trade mark
    • Cancel registrations
      • Cancel an Australian business number (ABN)
      • Cancel your business name
      • Deregister a company
  • Planning
    • Guide to starting a business
    • New businesses
      • Are you ready to start a business?
      • Prepare yourself for business
      • Calculate the start-up costs of your business
      • Difference between a business and a hobby
      • Choose a business name
      • Business names, trading names and legal names
      • Choose your business location
      • Buy an existing business
      • Start a business as a young person
      • Start a business as a non-citizen
      • Legal essentials for business
      • Get help for your business
      • Starting a business checklist
    • Business structures and types
      • Business structures
      • Restructuring
      • Home-based businesses
      • Franchising
      • Set up a market stall
      • Starting an Indigenous business
      • Develop your corporate governance structure
    • Business plans
      • Business plan
      • Marketing plan
      • Emergency management plan
      • Sustainability action plan
      • Succession plan
      • SWOT analysis
      • Set goals for your business
    • Protect your brand, idea or creation
      • Intellectual property
      • Trade mark
      • Patents
      • Difference between a business name and a trade mark
      • Copyright
      • Designs
      • Circuit layouts
      • Plant breeder's rights
    • Industry information
    • Innovation
      • Innovation in your business
      • Develop an innovation strategy
      • Develop a new product
      • How collaboration can help your business
    • Growing your business
  • Operations
    • Finance
      • Set up your finances
      • Financial tools and templates
      • Payments and invoicing
      • Funding
      • Taxation
      • Cash flow
      • Support for your business finances
      • Employees pay, leave and entitlements
      • Superannuation
      • Yearly financial tasks
      • Financial trouble
    • Legal
      • Legal essentials for business
      • Work heath and safety
      • Fair trading
      • Contracts and tenders
      • Bankruptcy and insolvency
    • People
      • Employees
      • Contractors
      • Customers
      • Suppliers
      • Disputes
    • Risk management
      • Risk assessment and planning
      • Emergency management
      • Insurance
      • Health and safety
      • Mental health
    • Online
      • Your business's digital maturity
      • Business website
      • Social media for business
      • Buying and selling online
      • Cyber security
      • Digital tools for business
      • Digital case studies
      • Support to go digital
    • Products and services
      • Importing
      • Exporting
      • Pricing
      • Product labelling
      • Inventory management
      • Shipping
    • Marketing
      • Business marketing
      • Identify your target market
      • Research your market
      • Develop your marketing plan
      • Advertising
      • Promoting by email or text
      • Promote your sustainable business
    • Environmental management
      • Manage your environmental impact
      • Manage energy use
      • Manage business waste
      • Manage water use
      • Sustainability checklist
      • Sustainability action plan
    • Exiting
      • Closing your business
      • Selling your business
      • Bankruptcy and insolvency
      • Develop your succession plan
      • Cancel registrations
  • Grants and support
    • Grants finder
    • Adviser finder
    • Events finder
    • Flood assistance
    • COVID-19 support
    • Mental health
      • Create a mentally healthy workplace
      • Manage stress in your business
      • Mental health and wellbeing support
    • Guide to continuing your business
  • Tools and templates
  • News
  • Home
  • Planning
  • Protect your brand, idea or creation

Protect your brand, idea or creation

Most businesses have some form of intellectual property (IP). IP can be anything from a name, creation or idea. Understand the different types of IP protection and how they can help your business.
A man and woman look at plans

Intellectual property

Learn how to protect your brand, idea or creation in Australia and overseas.

Difference between a business name and a trade mark

Understand the difference between a business name and a trade mark.

Trade mark

Learn more about a trade marks, what you need to do before you register and how long protection lasts.

Patents

A patent protects any device, substance, method or process. Learn more about the types of patents and how to apply.

Copyright

Copyright protects the original form or way an idea or information is expressed, not the idea or information itself. Learn what copyright protects and how long protection last.

Designs

Find out what a design right protects and how to secure the rights.

Circuit layouts

Find out what is protected under circuit layouts rights and for how long.

Plant breeder’s rights

Find out the benefits plant breeder’s rights and how long protection lasts.

Live chat

We use cookies to give you a better experience on our website. Learn more about how we use cookies and how you can select your preferences.

Customise cookies

About us

  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Acknowledgement of Country
  • Privacy
  • Service availability

Quick links

  • Accessibility
  • Legal notices
  • Other languages
  • Sitemap

Related Sites

  • Business Registration Service
  • Australian Business Licence and Information Service
  • ABN Lookup

Call us on 13 28 46

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Twitter

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the latest business news delivered straight to your inbox each fortnight.

Subscribe Privacy Policy

© Commonwealth of Australia.