Assignment of Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property is a property right that can be protected under federal and state law, including copyrightable works, ideas, discoveries, and inventions. The term intellectual property relates to intangible property such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trades secrets. Thus, in today's legal marketplace most registered patent attorneys hold themselves out as intellectual property law attorneys, as opposed to merely a patent attorney. A patent is the right to exclude others from making, using or selling the invention throughout the United States of America. In short, others may not make, use or sell the patented invention without the authorization of the patent owner. A patent then, is a limited monopoly granted by the government for the term period of the patent. After the patent expires, anyone may make, use or sell the invention. The issuance of patents, trademarks, and copyrights is governed at the federal level by the standards and regulations of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.