Intellectual Property Glossary

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Copyright - Protect works of authorship, such as writings, music, and works of art in their final form. Copyrighted materials last the lifetime of the author plus 70 years.

Copyright infringement - A violation of the exclusive rights secured by copyright laws.

Design Patent - A patent that is granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for a manufacture object or product.

Disclosure - A complete revelation or disclosure of the invention which protection is sought given by a creator or inventor in exchange for the patent.

Element - A discrete component of a patent claim.

Embodiment - The way an invention can be created, used, practiced, or expressed.

Exclusive Right – The legal entitlement to execute an act or obtain an advantage and to allow or restrict others from the right of performing the same act or obtaining the same benefit.

Intellectual rights - A term used to indicate the legal protection available to owners of intellectual property.

Invention - A new or original, functional process, machine, improvement on an existing idea or creation, etc., that did not exist until that time and that is accepted as a product of some unique intuition or genius.

Patent - A property right granted by the US government to an inventor to forbid others from making, using, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the country for a limited period of time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted.

Patent Pending - A phrase that often appears on manufactured items while the patent application is still being processed.

Sole Proprietorship - A business, company, or organization that has only one owner and is unincorporated.

Specification - A description of the invention and the manner and process of making and using the item.

Trademark - Protection for names, words, symbols, sounds, or colors that help distinguish goods and services. Trademarks can be renewed for an unlimited amount of time as long as they are being used by a business.

Trade Secret - Information kept secret by companies to give them an advantage over their competitors. Do you have more questions about intellectual property that you would like answered? Please contact an Intellectual Property Expert today by filling out the intake form at the top of this page.