Intellectual Property Law can be quite confusing at times. Copyrights, trademarks and patents all have a role in protecting your hard earned content and knowing their role is half the battle. Intellectual property in itself refers to the creations of the mind, including such things as: artistic works, literary works, inventions, names, images, symbols, and designs used in commerce. In other words, the intellect that is the possession of an organization or an individual is considered intellectual property. Intellectual property is divided into two categories, copyrights and industrial property. Copyrights give the authors of an exclusive work, exclusive rights to that work for a limited amount of time. Copyrights cover such literary and artistic works as novels, poems, plays, films, songs and other musical works, artistic works (drawings, paintings, sculptures and photographs) and architectural designs. Copyrights, which must be renewed periodically, allow the creators of a piece of work, the opportunity to benefit from that piece of work.

Industrial property includes patents, trademarks, industrial designs and geographic indications of source. Patents give the inventors of a new product, a certain (limited) amount of time in which he/she may prevent others from making, selling or using the invention without authorization. A trademark is an intellectual property protection which is used to protect the distinctive features that distinguish one product from another. Those features can include such things as: symbols, colors, brands, names, sounds, smells, shapes, and signs. Fortunately, Intellectual property laws benefit the creator of a property, by rewarding that creator for his/her innovation and creativity. Also, society as a whole benefits from intellectual property laws, by the fact, that these laws encourage creativity, therefore allowing the rest of us to benefit from the wide range of products and services that are produced.

The Internet is obviously the best place for Buyers to find land to buy, but as a Seller what is the best way to sell land online? It’s like any other sales situation – get it in front of the right folks and lots of them – but make sure it counts. The key to selling land online comes down to two easy items anyone can improve on so they can have better odds of selling their land online. What if you left out the photo of that awesome view that a buyer was looking for or the picturesque barn that could have lured in a phone call. Don’t chance it! Put as many photos as you can online with your listing. When people go to buy farms and ranches there are also emotions involved and if you can stir those up with your vivid photos you’ll be that much closer to selling your land.

Tell me about the land for sale! No details should be left untold. It’s the same with photos meaning that what if someone is looking for land with mineral rights and you don’t even mention 100% of minerals are included? “Nice land” doesn’t provide a very exciting look into what the property includes and looks like. “Mountainous country with live creeks, views to kill for, and soils any plant would love” sparks a little more interest. Another good point with descriptions is that when it’s online search engines are going to pick it up so the more description you have, the more chances you have of someone finding your property in search engines. There is no better application of the Internet in the real estate market than rural property. Finding a home in your city 10 minutes away is nice to do on the Internet, but when you’re looking for a farm or ranch for sale 100 to 500 miles from your home it’s much more critical to be able to pull up these properties in your office or home, find that perfect one – then go take a look.