Our minds are what drive us everyday to do things. Some tasks we do are  auto-pilot mode and others require us to think. Walking to us seem to be an auto-pilot function but was that always the case? Do you remember the first times you learnt to walk as a baby? It was a very brain intensive process. Our parents taught us part of the solution and our brains adapted the solution to work with our body. Same concept can be said about driving and even talking.

Ideas

Our brains generate ideas to our everyday problems in every aspect of our life. But sometimes we let our auto-pilot take control of our selves and we stop being creative. For example, it’s fine to walk from your chair to your bathroom but to walk from your home to your work 15km apart is still possible but it is not practical. Can you come up with some ideas for it?

• Put shoes instead of waking naked feet. Much more comfort.
• Walk early in the morning to avoid high sun temperatures.
• Find a shorter route on the map. Less tiredness and quicker.
• Take energy drinks on the way. (I really do not recommend this one)
• Take a bicycle or a bus instead of using our feet. Less tiredness and quicker.

Now let’s imagine you were the first human to come up with those ideas. Would you prevent others from copying you or would you let them copy you but only if they remunerated you in some ways first?

This is where Intellectual Property (IP) comes in place. You will not be able to protect each and every kind of things which your mind can create. The IP system differs in every country and “by striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish” [1].

In the next post, we shall see what the different “Creations of the mind” and what are their legal qualifications. In the meanwhile, can you write down few creations of the mind?

[1] https://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/