
What is Intellectual property law?
Intellectual property (IP) is any product of human intellect that the law protects from unauthorized use by others. IP is traditionally broken into four categories: copyright, patent, trademark and trade secrets. Unlike tangible property law (such as law regarding land), IP law is not bound to exclusive physical goods. Rather, IP law protects the creative product of people from being misused or appropriated by other people. These protections serve as incentives to authors, musicians, painters, and more, to keep producing unique works for the good of the public.