Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) is a legal concept that includes copyrights, trademarks, patents, and related rights. Under intellectual property law, the holder of one these abstract "properties" has certain exclusive rights to the creative work, commercial symbol, or invention which is covered by it.

The laws of some governments have recognized forms of intellectual property for a few centuries, but other governments have done so only recently, and some scholars question the legitimacy and philosophical basis of such laws. Several international treaties since the late 19th century have standardized many aspects of the law, but the laws and enforcement still vary widely from one jurisdiction to another. Furthermore, the understanding and observance of intellectual property laws by individuals are also widely varied.

Intellectual property confers a bundle of exclusive rights in relation to the particular form or manner in which ideas or information are expressed or manifested, and not in relation to the ideas or concepts themselves. The term "intellectual property" denotes the specific legal rights which authors, inventors and other IP holders may hold and exercise, and not the intellectual work itself.

Intellectual property laws are designed to protect different forms of subject matter, although in some cases there is a degree of overlap.

A patent may be granted for a new, useful, and non-obvious invention, and gives the patent holder a right to prevent others from practicing the invention without a license from the inventor for a certain period of time (typically 20 years from the filing date of a patent application).
A trademark is a distinctive sign which is used to distinguish the products or services of different businesses.

An industrial design right protects the form of appearance, style or design of an industrial object (e.g. spare parts, furniture, or textiles).

A trade secret (which is sometimes either equated with, or a subset of, "confidential information") is secret, non-public information concerning the commercial practices or proprietary knowledge of a business. Public disclosure of trade secrets may sometimes be illegal.

Patents, trademarks, and designs rights are sometimes collectively known as industrial property, as they are typically created and used for industrial or commercial purposes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual property

What is Intellectual Property? - Click here to identify the 4 main types of IP and access information and resources from the UK Intellectual Property Ofice http://www.ipo.gov.uk/whatis.htm

Useful Patent Links and Resources

Esp@cenet®
European Patent Office gateway.

[European Patent Office] Epoline® - Official site.
Status register of European patent specifications

[European Patent Office] European Patent Server - Official site.
Provides copies of European Patent Office A and B specifications

Global Patent Data Coverage 
Clicking on the country provides details of its coverage.

[Japan] Patent Abstracts of Japan - Official site.
English abstracts plus drawing of Japanese patent applications from 1976