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 Intellectual property is any idea or work
that can be considered proprietary in nature and is thus protected from
infringement by others.
Four
Types of Intellectual Property
The
law of many countries recognizes four kinds of intellectual property:
A
trademark is a graphic symbol, device or slogan that identifies a
business. A business has property right to its trademark from the inception of
its use (in USA) or since its registration (in Europe). Trademark
laws guarantee that a special mark placed on a certain kind of goods indicates
the origin of the goods; more specifically the manufacturer of the goods or a
service provider. Accepting trademarks as intellectual property is an effective
solution to a practical problem: how to protect the public against inferior
goods produced by pirates.
A
patent is a right given to an inventor for a limited period of time; this
right allows the inventor to treat an idea as his/her property and to prevent
anyone else from using it without his/her permission.
A
copyright is a property right in an original work of authorship that is
fixed in any tangible medium of expression. It is the right to prohibit others from copying, displaying or
distributing "works of authorship" - text, software, databases, music, photos,
etc. It cannot protect generic text or processes however. A copyright provides
exclusive rights to: reproduce the work in copies; distribute copies; perform
the work publicly; display the work publicly; and prepare derivative works.
A
trade secret is a commercially valuable idea that is now disclosed to the
public.
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