| The Oxford English Reference Dictionary defines “intellectual
property” as “property that is the result of creativity
and does not exist in tangible form, such as patents, copyright, trademarks
etc”. The United States Department of State describes the term
as meaning “creative ideas and expressions of the human mind
that have commercial value and receive the legal protection of a property
right. The major legal mechanisms for protecting intellectual property
rights are copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Intellectual property
rights enable owners to select who may access and use their property
and to protect it from unauthorised use.”
In Ireland the primary intellectual property rights are patents,
trade marks, designs
and copyright.
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