"To call it 'intellectual' is misleading. It
takes one's eye off the ball. 'Intellectual' confers a
respectability on a monopoly which may well not be deserved. A
squirrel is a rat with good P.R. 'Intellectual Property' is
perhaps a phrase coined by the same P.R. agent for
monopolies?"1 – Professor Sir Robin
Jacob, emeritus Lord Justice in the Court of Appeal of England and
Wales.
Intellectual property (IP) refers to "creations of the
mind" such as inventions, designs, brand names and images
which are attached to particular brands, and literary or artistic
works.2 Simply put, intellectual property law grants
intellectual property rights (IPRs) which entitle the right holder
to the exclusive use and exploitation of his IP. IPRs can be
categorized into two: (a) "industrial property" which
covers patents for inventions, trademarks for brand names and
logos, industrial designs and geographical indications of origin of
a product, and (b) "copyright" which covers literary
