Intellectual property (IP) created by inventors is primarily protected through patents. Patents grant inventors exclusive rights to their inventions for a specific period of time, typically 20 years, preventing others from making, using, selling, or distributing the invention without permission.
Other forms of intellectual property, such as:
- Registered designs protect the visual design of objects.
- Trademarks protect brand names and logos used on goods and services.
- Geographical indications identify goods as originating from a specific place, where a given quality, reputation, or other characteristic is essentially attributable to that location.
- Copyright protects original works of authorship, such as literature, music, and art.
Each of these types of protection serves different aspects of intellectual property, but for inventions specifically, patents are the primary means of protection.
1 answer