Getting to Know Intellectual Property 02/22/12(Korea Time)

       Last time I dwelled upon intellectual property, I couldn't find any document that satisfied my eagerness to understand it. And I was pretty sure my viewers wouldn't be happy with my explanation of intellectual property if I was unsatisfied with it too.

       On the other hand, after coming over to Korea and using Myonji University's database, I have found documents and resources from the World Intellectual Property Organization, which thoroughly explain what is intellectual property and show some of the fields of intellectual property protection.

       According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, "the term intellectual property refers broadly to the creations of the human mind. Intellectual property rights protect the interests of creators by giving them property rights over their creations." In addition, there are three different types of law that protect intellectual property: copyright, trademark, and patent law.    

Nonetheless, subject matter protected by intellectual property rights are

• performances of performing artists, phonograms, and broadcasts;
• inventions in all fields of human endeavor;
• scientific discoveries;
• industrial designs;
• trademarks, service marks, and commercial names and designations;
• protection against unfair competition; and
• “all other rights resulting from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary or artistic fields.”

       Overall, intellectual property relates to items of information or knowledge, which can be incorporated in tangible objects at the same time in an unlimited number of copies at different locations anywhere in the world. The property is not in those copies but in the information or knowledge reflected in them. In addition, Intellectual property rights are also characterized by certain limitations, such as limited duration in the case of copyright and patents. Therefore, my next post will cover what I learned about intellectual property right's limitations.