What is Intellectual Property?
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, the UN agency tasked with promoting progress in Intellectual Property, Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind:
inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and
designs used in commerce.
IP is divided into two categories: Industrial property, which
includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and
geographic indications of source; and Copyright, which includes literary
and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical
works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and
sculptures, and architectural designs. Rights related to copyright
include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of
phonograms in their recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio
and television programs.
Why does it matter?
Intellectual Property promotes innovation through providing protection from competition for newly created property for a period of time. It makes society a better place by proving individuals and organizations with financial incentives to create new and better art, products, and processes. Without this protection, society would be worse off. Critics maintain that this protection does not benefit society but instead impedes innovation by increasing the barriers to entry.
About this Website
This website has been created by a group of 5 MBAs from the Manderson Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama. It is intended to be a resource for anyone trying to learn more about Intellectual Property in Agriculture, Industrial/Military Design, Pharmaceuticals, and Arts & Entertainment. You will find specific protection strategies, current issues, and resources in IP. Web pages focus on IP issues in the US, China, and Brazil. The Country Specific Resources page lists resource for each country.
