Intellectual property (IP)
Also called IP, intellectual property rights, IPR, intellectual property law
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols, names and images used in commerce1.
The law protects IP through, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which let people earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create1. The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) lists, for the purposes of that Convention, the rights that the term includes2.
The legal definition
Article 2(viii) of the Convention Establishing WIPO, signed at Stockholm on 14 July 1967 and amended on 28 September 1979, says that for the purposes of that Convention intellectual property includes the rights relating to2:
- literary, artistic and scientific works2;
- performances of performing artists, phonograms and broadcasts2;
- inventions in all fields of human endeavor2;
- scientific discoveries2;
- industrial designs2;
- trademarks, service marks, and commercial names and designations2;
- protection against unfair competition2;
- and all other rights resulting from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary or artistic fields2.
Main types of IP
WIPO's overview groups IP into several main types. Each protects a different kind of creation1.
| Type | What it protects |
|---|---|
| Patent | A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention. It benefits inventors with legal protection and gives the public access to technical information about the invention3. |
| Trademark | A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises4. |
| Industrial design | An industrial design is the ornamental aspect of an article. It may consist of three dimensional features, such as the shape of an article, or two dimensional features, such as patterns, lines or color5. WIPO's page refers to the owner of a registered industrial design or of a design patent, see Design patent5. |
| Geographical indication | A geographical indication is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin6. |
| Copyright | Copyright is the legal term for the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works, from books, music, paintings, sculpture and films to computer programs, databases, advertisements, maps and technical drawings7. |
| Trade secret | WIPO describes trade secrets as IP rights on confidential information which may be sold or licensed8. |
Why the law protects IP
WIPO says that by striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish1.
For patents, the balance is an exchange. The patent owner has the right to decide how, or whether, others can use the invention, and in return makes technical information about it publicly available in the published patent document1. See Patent claim and Patent family for how a patent is described and grouped.
Questions people ask
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Run Novelty SearchIs a patent the same as intellectual property?
No. A patent is one type of IP right: an exclusive right granted for an invention3. WIPO lists others, including trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications and copyright1.
Are trade secrets intellectual property?
Yes, in WIPO's usage. It describes trade secrets as IP rights on confidential information which may be sold or licensed8.
Does the WIPO definition include scientific discoveries?
Yes. Article 2(viii) of the Convention Establishing WIPO lists the rights relating to scientific discoveries among the rights included in the term, for the purposes of that Convention2.
How it connects
Go from the term to the task
Read how the method works, run it on your own product or idea, then try a free tool.
- 01 / How-toPatentability search: a practical guideCheck whether an invention is new before you spend on a filing.Read
- 02 / AI agentNovelty Search AI AgentAn AI agent that searches prior art for your invention and compares each reference with it feature by feature.Run it
- 03 / Free toolAI prior art searchDescribe an idea, get the closest patents.Try tool