Intellectual Property

Intellectual property consists broadly of two main categories:

• industrial property, which mainly vests in inventions, patents, innovations, trade marks, industrial designs and models, trade secrets and expertise; and
• copyright, which mainly subsists in written, electronic and other forms of information, musical compositions, computer programs (software), and artistic, photographic and audiovisual creations.

The basic rights of ownership of intellectual property are known as “intellectual property rights” (IPR), which are primarily derived from legislation concerning patents, designs, copyrights and trade marks.