Intellectual property (IP) is a legal framework for protecting certain intangible creations and signs.

In practice

Major categories include copyright, patents, trade marks, designs, plant variety rights and protection for undisclosed information.

IP-services relevance

Service industries create, license and enforce IP as core business assets, making IP rules central to cross-border service delivery.

Examples

• A software exporter licenses code and branding into multiple markets.
• A design studio combines copyright and trade mark strategies.
• A biotech service model depends on patents and data-related protections.