IP IS PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE
The products we buy, the technology we use, the music we listen to, movies we see, and even the medicines we depend on, rely on IP rights.
Discover the IP rights behind four famous examples.
HOW IDEAS AND INNOVATION ARE PROTECTED
Inventions, creative expression, business and product symbols, and unique ways of using them, are protected in one of four ways.
Inventions
PATENTS
Patents provide the right to exclude others from practicing an invention. They help attract investors and can make competition fairer.
Examples: 3-D printing, energy saving light bulb, Nvidia semiconductor, Keytruda cancer drug, robotic surgery
Creative Expression
COPYRIGHTS ©
Everyone who has written a school paper owns a copyright; so do songwriters, filmmakers, authors and video game makers; Disney and Universal Music, too.
Examples: Spider-Man · Grand Theft Auto · Hey Jude · Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Business & Trade Symbols
TRADEMARKS ®
Trademarks help consumers identify the source of products and services. They protect distinctive names, logos, symbols and other brand identifiers.
Examples: Toyota logo · Nike Swoosh · Microsoft squares · Google rainbow G
Valuable Methods
TRADE SECRETS
Trade secrets are quietly identified, never shared and difficult to enforce.
Examples: KFC blend of spices; Coca-Cola formula; Amazon's recommendation algorithm
PEOPLE RELY ON IP; IP RELIES ON PEOPLE.
Behind every invention, creative work, brand and business idea are people who create, develop, invest in and bring ideas to life.
AI AND IP
Why they must learn to live together
Artificial intelligence is raising new questions about creativity, ownership, authorship, licensing and innovation. Understanding IP is more important than ever as technology changes how ideas are created and used.
Who owns AI-generated work
Questions about authorship, ownership and licensing are reshaping the conversation around intellectual property.