Intellectual Property

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Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Intellectual Property'

A broad categorical description for the set of intangibles owned and legally protected by a company from outside use or implementation without consent. Intellectual property can consist of patents, trade secrets, copyrights and trademarks, or simply ideas.

The concept of intellectual property relates to the fact that certain products of human intellect should be afforded the same protective rights that apply to physical property. Most developed economies have legal measures in place to protect both forms of property.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Intellectual Property'

Companies are diligent when it comes to identifying and protecting intellectual property because it holds such high value in today's increasingly knowledge-based economy. Extracting value from intellectual property and preventing others from deriving value from it is an important responsibility for any company.

Many forms of IP cannot be listed on the balance sheet as assets, but the value of such property tends to be reflected in the price of the stock. Management's ability to manage these effectively and turn a profit is just one example.

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'Intellectual Property'

  • Where Top Down Meets Bottoms Up

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/07/topdownbottomup.asp
    ... Intellectual Property: Patents and other intellectual property that a company owns
    can be extremely valuable, as licensing fees essentially become free cash ...

  • Is Eastman Kodak A Value Trap?

    http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Is-Eastman-Kodak-A-Value-Trap-EK0208.aspx
    ... Intellectual Property This was the second blow to Eastman Kodak in a week, as the
    US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled a few days earlier that one of ...

  • What Is The World Trade Organization?

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/040203.asp
    ... Intellectual property rights were also addressed in the establishment of regulations
    protecting the trade and investment of ideas, concepts, designs, patents ...

  • Cover Your Company With Liability Insurance

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/CGL-insurance.asp
    ... The policy may also cover infringement on intellectual property, slander, libel,
    contractual liability, tenant liability and employment practices liability. ...

  • Play Video Games; Become A Millionaire - Investopedia.com

    http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0310/Play-Video-Games-Become-A-Millionaire.aspx
    ... According to eBay's policy on selling digitally delivered goods and items, "The
    seller must be the owner of the underlying intellectual property, or authorized ...

  • What Makes An M&A Deal Work?

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/08/ma-deal.asp
    ... Additionally, the acquirer gained the ability to leverage Varco's intellectual property
    and proprietary edges in specialized drilling equipment and ...

  • How To Evaluate A Company's Balance Sheet

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/06/assetperformance.asp
    ... physical assets are considered intangible assets, which can essentially be categorized
    into three different types: intellectual property (patents, copyrights ...

  • Using The Price-To-Book Ratio To Evaluate Companies

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/fundamental/03/112603.asp
    ... accounting rules, book value completely ignores intangible assets like brand name,
    goodwill, patents and other intellectual property created by a company. ...

  • Value Investing: Finding Value In Financial Reports And Balance ...

    http://www.investopedia.com/university/value-investing/value-investing4.asp
    ... A company's financial reports will also describe its recent major accomplishments,
    changes in leadership, risk factors, intellectual property, any regulatory ...

  • IDT Corporation Breaks Up

    http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/IDT-Corporation-Breaks-Up-IDT-TOT-XOM-COP0406.aspx
    ... Intellectual Property Another spin off announced by IDT Corporation is a company
    called Innovative Communications Technologies, which will contain intellectual ...

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