Intellectual property involves creations of the mind. These include inventions, literary works, artistic works, symbols, designs, images, and names. Intellectual property is protected by law such as copyright, trademarks, and patents, meaning that people are able to earn recognition and/or financial benefit from anything that they either create or invent.
Here are four of the most common types of intellectual property.
Copyright
Copyright is used to describe rights that creators have over works that are both artistic and literary. Works that are covered by this include music, painting, books, films, sculpture, databases, computer programs, maps, advertisements, and technical drawings.
Patents
Patents are exclusive rights that are granted for inventions and provide the owner with the right to be able to determine whether or how the invention is able to be used by other individuals. In exchange, the owner of the patent will make specific types of technical information about the invention itself publicly available within the published patent documentation.
Trademarks
Trademarks are signs that are designed to help distinguish the goods and/or services of an enterprise from the same goods and/or services of another enterprise. Trademarks actually date back to ancient times, as during this specific point in world history, artisans would take the time to put their signature, or their “mark,” on products that they designed or produced.
Trade Secrets
Trade secrets are intellectual property rights on any kind of confidential information that can be either sold or licensed. If this property is either used, disclosed, or acquired without being previously authorized in a manner that is contrary to commercial practices that are honest, this is considered to be a highly unfair practice, as well as a major violation of the trade secret protection.
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