Brand Management and Intellectual Property Duke Energy's Code of Business Ethics

Duke Energy's brand identity and intellectual property are among its most valuable assets. The loss of or injury to such assets could have a serious financial impact on the company. Violation of the intellectual property rights of others breaches our value of integrity, and may subject both the employee and Duke Energy to substantial liability, including criminal penalties.

Employees demonstrate accountability by consistently and appropriately protecting the intellectual property rights of Duke Energy and honoring the intellectual property rights of third parties (e.g., copyrights, trademarks, service marks and patents).

Employees must also be accurate and truthful in communicating information about Duke Energy products and services. This practice protects the Duke Energy brand and shows respect for our customers and shareholders.

Our Responsibilities

Duke Energy employees are expected to protect the intellectual property rights of Duke Energy, including the Duke Energy name and logo, taglines, inventions, processes and innovations and to respect those of all third parties.

Duke Energy employees must:

  • Follow the Brand Guidelines when creating materials using the Duke Energy name, mark or logo.
  • Understand that any intellectual property created by a Duke Energy employee in the performance of his or her job responsibilities belongs to Duke Energy and that innovations must be shared with the company to ensure adequate protection.
  • Report any unauthorized use of Duke Energy's copyrights, patents, service marks or trademarks.
  • Respect all intellectual property that Duke Energy has received from third parties under confidentiality or license agreements.
  • Obtain permission to use a third party's trademark, service mark or other intellectual property.
  • Use inventions patented by third parties only within the terms of a license agreement.
  • Be accurate and truthful in communication of information about Duke Energy products and services.
  • Adhere to established brand standards when producing any materials, including advertising, publications, on-line materials and other items using the Duke Energy or subsidiary companies' names or logos.

Employees must not:

  • Make copies of copyright-protected materials until Duke Energy has obtained permission from the copyright holder or determined that limited copying is legally permitted.
  • Copy or distribute software or related documentation without first ensuring that it is permitted by the licensing agreement.
  • Use company letterhead, company e-mail or reference to our business address or title when expressing a personal view in a public forum.

Q&A

Q: What is intellectual property?
A: "Intellectual property" denotes the legal rights that may be secured in virtually any creation of the human mind or intellect (for example, an idea, invention, machine, device, process, program, software, drawings, blueprints, name, logo or slogan) or that may be legally protectible (such as a patent, copyright, trademark, service mark, and/or trade secret).

Q: What types of protections are available for intellectual property?
A: The type of protection available depends on the type of intellectual property involved.

  • Copyrights protect original and tangible works of authorship such as books, brochures, reports, proposals, advertisements and other literary works, as well as works of art, drawings, photographs, videos, maps, charts, musical works, audiotapes and software. A copyright prohibits unauthorized copying or downloading of these works.
  • Patents protect new and non-obvious inventions, such as machines, apparatus, devices, manufacturing components, chemical compositions, processes, methods and ornamental designs. A patent permits inventors and patent holders to exclude others from making, using or selling the same invention.
  • Trademarks and service marks are words, phrases, symbols and designs which identify and distinguish the source of goods or services from those of others. Registration of a trademark or service mark restricts its use by others. In some circumstances, a trademark or service mark may be protected from such use without registration.
  • Trade secrets are any information used by a business such as formulas, processes, devices and customer lists that have economic value because they are not generally known or easily discovered by observation or examination, and for which reasonable efforts have been made to maintain secrecy.