The history of Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The history of Intellectual Property - Essay Example The WIPO defined 'intellectual property' as "creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce." Intellectual property "is divided into two categories: industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source; and copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs. Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio and television programs." (WIPO, 1967) In simple words, intellectual property maybe called a generic term for a set of legal instruments that specify the exclusive rights granted to creators of new innovations. There are two categories of intellectual property r ights: the first, patents, copyright, industrial designs, plant breeders' rights and layout designs for integrated circuits which grant exclusive rights to new innovations and original works of authorship for a limited period.