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• Confidential Information – for the protection of unpublished (secret) information; and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.

Importance of IP in the NHS

Nearly all countries world-wide have mechanisms in place to provide intellectual property protection. This provides businesses with the confidence to invest money in developing new products or services for the healthcare market secure in the knowledge that they have an exclusive IP position. The NHS recognises that IP generated by its staff is an asset of value which needs to be managed for the benefit of staff, patients and society as a whole. Each Trust should have in place an IP policy that will ensure that any revenues earned from commercialising innovations developed by their staff are shared with those individuals.

For more information on the different types of intellectual property please download our
IP Factsheet: click here

Further IP Policy Reference Documents can be downloaded here:

DH Framework & Guidance on IP 2002 - download pdf here

Handling Inventions & other Intellectual Property 1998 - download pdf here

Health Service Circular 1998 - download pdf here

Management of Intellectual Property & Related Matters 1998 - download pdf here