Canadian Intellectual Property Office

What is Intellectual Property (IP)?

Legal rights that result from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields.

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What is an industrial design?

An industrial design is the visual features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament—or any combination of these features—applied to a finished article made by hand, tool or machine.

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What is an ICT?

ICTs (integrated circuit topographies) refer to the three-dimensional configurations of electronic integrated circuit products or layout designs.

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What is a copyright?

In the simplest terms, "copyright" means "the right to copy." In general, only the copyright owner, often the creator of the work, is allowed to produce or reproduce the work or to permit anyone else to do so.

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What is a patent?

A patent is a right, granted by government, to exclude others from making, using, or selling your invention in Canada.

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What is a trade-mark?

A trade-mark is a word (or words), a design, or a combination of these, used to identify the goods or services of one person or organization.

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