Intellectual Property Defined

What is Intellectual Property?

Well, Intellectual Property is a name for a group of legal rights that protects the entire creations or people's creativity or invention. So, intellectual property protects things like inventions, artistic works, protects things like music. and so it's a group of legal rights that protects creative works.

What are the four main types of Intellectual Property?

Well, the four main types of Intellectual Property: there are patents, there are trademarks, there are registered designs, and then there's copyright.

What is 'copyright'?

Copyright is a legal right that protects against copying of artistic works, musical works, literary works, and similar things, including computer programs.

What are 'design rights'?

Design rights are like a copyright that protect the appearance of an article.

What is a 'patent'?

A patent is a legal right that protects an invention. In other words you stop anybody else from using that invention commercially in the country where you've got a patent.

What is a 'trade mark'?

A trademark is a legal right that protects a brand. It is something like trade name or a logo, and allows you to stop other people from using it.

What is a 'monopoly right'?

A monopoly right is the kind of right that allows you to stop anybody else from using the thing that you've got protected. So, for example, your invention, if it's a patented monopoly right, or your trademark, it's a trademark monopoly right, then that's different to copyrights that only allow you to stop someone copying what you produced.