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Glossary of IPR Terms  

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Copyright - Form of intellectual property protection provided to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.    

Counterfeit - A copy that is represented as the original.    

Trademark Counterfeiting - Unauthorized representation of a registered trademark carried on goods identical or similar to goods for which the trademark is registered, with a view to deceiving the purchaser that he/she is buying the original goods. 

Intellectual Property (IP)- The general term for intangible property rights which are a result of intellectual effort and is afforded legal protection.  Intellectual property includes patents, trademarks, including geographical indications, industrial designs, lay-out designs of integrated circuits, copyrights, and trade secrets Intellectual Property Protection - The legal protection afforded to the owner of intellectual property through national legislation and international agreements.    

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)- The legal rights afforded to the owners of intellectual property.    

Intellectual Property Right Infringement – An act that interferes with any of the exclusive rights conferred to the owner of intellectual property. For example, infringement of a patent involves making, using, or selling a patented product or process without authorization.  Infringement of a trademark consists of the unauthorized use of the same or similar mark for the same or related goods or services where such use is likely to deceive, confuse, or mislead others. Infringement of a copyright involves reproducing, adapting, distributing, performing in public, or displaying in public the copyrighted work of someone else.    

Patent – The grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by governments, which confers to the inventor the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, or offering to sell the invention for a period of time.  In the United States., patents are available for any new and useful product and process machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.

Copyright Piracy - Reproduction, distribution and use of a work without the permission of the copyright owner or a person duly authorized by the right holder.    

Pirated Product – Copies made without the consent of the copyright owner.    

Any word, name, symbol or device or combination of these, used by manufacturers and merchants to identify their goods and services, indicate their source or origin, and distinguish them from the goods or services of others.  

Other informal terms for pirated or counterfeit goods:

• infringing 
• knock-off 
• fake 
• clone 
• phony 
• forged 
• forgery 
• bogus 
• imitation 
• fraud 
• fraudulent 
• illegitimate 
• adulterated 
• false 
• sham 
• duplicate 

 

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Date Updated: October 03, 2008

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[ Additional IPR Websites ] [ Additional U.S. Government Contacts ] [ Glossary of Key IPR Terms ] [ IPR Industry Contacts ] [ IPR Protection in Foreign Markets ] [ IPR Protection in the U.S. ] [ Questions to Consider Safeguarding Your IPR ]

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