Intellectual property (IP) covers ideas, inventions, information and knowledge; it can be viewed as the outcomes of intellectual and/or creative activity. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are legal rights granted to the owner of the IP. Like any other form of property they can be bought, sold, rented or hired to others.

The main types of IPR are:

• Patents – for protecting inventions which are new, inventive and capable of industrial application;
• Copyright – for the protection of a wide variety of material including literary and artistic works, music, films, sound recordings, broadcasts and software;
• Design Right – for the protection of product appearance;
• Confidential Information – for the protection of unpublished (secret) information; and
• Trade Marks – for the protection of words, signs, logos or pictures.

Click here to view a Table comparing the different types of IP.