Intellectual property can be a very abstract concept. You can’t see it, and it isn’t tangible.
When you think of real property, you can see that and touch it, and it is very easy to understand. Someone may own an automobile, bicycle, house, or land. That is very easy to see and understand.
Intellectual property protects without being tangible. It protects products of the mind.
Examples of Intellectual Property Include:
- If you come up with a very clever poem or story that is covered by intellectual property (copyright).
- If you create a new widget, that is covered by intellectual property (patent).
- If you come up with a name or logo to identify the spruce of goods and services, that is covered by intellectual property (trademark).
Essentially, intellectual property protection allows you to make copies of your work (copyright) and prevent others from doing so. It prevents others from making, using, or selling your invention (patent). And it allows you to keep someone else from using your trademark to identify the source of goods or services. For that reason, intellectual property can be very powerful protection.
One difference with real property is that no one else can use it when someone uses a piece of real property. For example, if you are driving your car, no one else can drive it. But if you are performing your song, someone else can perform your song without interfering with your performance.
Sometimes, this distinction makes people think that intellectual property shouldn’t exist at all. But when you have put a lot of hard work into creating something, you want to be able to profit from it without someone else profiting from it. Have you ever told a joke to a friend, and then at a party, that friend repeats your joke, and everyone laughs, and you want to take credit, but you can’t without looking petty?
That is what intellectual property is designed to protect. The originator of the work, invention or other creation gets the credit and benefit of their hard work. Intellectual property can be a bit abstract and confusing. I often call it a beast, but the beast can be tamed into something understandable with a little help.
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