# Intellectual property (IP)

The legal category covering intangible creations of the mind that receive some form of legal protection. The four main types are patents (inventions), copyright (creative works), trademarks (brand identifiers), and trade secrets (confidential business information). Each type has different rules, durations, and protections — and they can overlap on the same product.

**Full entry:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary/intellectual-property

**All patent terms:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. A plain-English glossary of US patent terms._