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Intellectual Property in IT Explained

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, literary works, designs, and symbols. IP is protected by laws including patents, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets. IP is important in information technology as it can differentiate business software from competitors and provide revenue through sales and licensing. While intangible, IP rights are valid for encouraging creation of intellectual goods and ideas for limited times, as with private property. Different types of software licenses determine the nature and copyright protection of software code forms like source code, object code, and executable code. The four main types of intellectual property are trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents, each protecting different types of intellectual creations.

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7 views2 pages

Intellectual Property in IT Explained

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, literary works, designs, and symbols. IP is protected by laws including patents, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets. IP is important in information technology as it can differentiate business software from competitors and provide revenue through sales and licensing. While intangible, IP rights are valid for encouraging creation of intellectual goods and ideas for limited times, as with private property. Different types of software licenses determine the nature and copyright protection of software code forms like source code, object code, and executable code. The four main types of intellectual property are trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents, each protecting different types of intellectual creations.

Uploaded by

Qaim Hassan
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

ROLE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN INFORMATION TECNOLOGY

Intellectual property (IP) is defined by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
as:

Creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and
symbols, names and images used in commerce. The owner of intellectual property
has monopoly of its use. Intellectual property is protected by laws, including patents,
copyright, trademarks and trade secret laws.

Importance of Intellectual property in IT


It is important to protect intellectual property rights because they can: set your business
software’s apart from competitors. Be sold or licensed, providing an important revenue
stream.

Unlike conventional property, like physical objects or land, intellectual property is often
intangible because it concerns creations of the mind. But the arguments for the validity of
intellectual property rights are the similar to those for private property.

The main purpose of intellectual property law is to encourage the creation of a wide
variety of intellectual goods and innovative ideas for consumers. To achieve this,
the law gives people and businesses property rights to the information
and intellectual goods they create, usually for a limited period of time.

IP Rights in Case of Software:

In order to prove the violation of the exclusive right provided by copyright the author must
prove the ownership first. Due to its unique nature where there are just lines of code and no
definite medium, it is hard to determine what would be the object of protection. In the case of
software, the program’s code can take any of the following forms: source code, object code,
and executable code. Because of this, there are different types of software licenses that
determine the nature of the software, and thus determine the type of copyright law that
protects each specific type of software.
Types of Intellectual Property

The four types of intellectual property include:


 Trade Secrets.
 Trademarks.
 Copyrights.
 Patents.

To protect your idea effectively when you launch your product, you need to utilize
one or more of the other three types of intellectual property before you commence
your marketing activities. The table below illustrates each of the four different types
of intellectual properties and what they might be used to protect in a broader sense.

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