Intellectual Property refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, artistic works, and names/logos. Such creative works typically fall under the protection of at least one of the four types of IP rights: patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
Patents
Patents are granted for inventing new and useful processes, machines, articles of manufacture or compositions of matter. The inventor is granted the sole right to exclude others from making, using, offering to sell, or selling the invention. There are three types of patents - utility, plant and design. There are two levels of utility applications - provisional and non-provisional. More information can be found at the United State Patent and Trademark Office site:Patent Basics
® Trademarks
Trademarks are words, names, symbols, sounds, or colors that are the face of the company and allow customers to easily identify and authenticate the source of a service or product. Trademarks have the potential to be renewed indefinitely if used continuously. Additional information can be found at the USPTO site:Trademark Basics
Copyrights protect original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyrights only protect the physical work and not the facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation behind the works, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. Copyrights are created instantly and multiple contributors can have rights in the same work. Additional information can be found at the USPTO site:Copyright Policy
Trade Secrets
Trade secrets consist of information and can include a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process. To meet the most common definition of a trade secret, it must be used in business, and give an opportunity to obtain an economic advantage over competitors who do not know or use it. Additional information can be found at the USPTO site:Trade Secret Policy
