Intellectual Property (IP)

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Intellectual property (IP) is data that is of commercial value and can be granted rights of ownership, such as copyrights, patents, and trademarks.

• intangible products of human thought and ingenuity
• protected by various laws such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets
• often:
  • represents vast sums of investment money and research time
  • provides significant competitive or military advantage