Home/IP Glossary

IP Glossary

Clear, practical definitions of intellectual property terms. Whether you're filing a patent, protecting trade secrets, or evaluating IP assets, this glossary has you covered.

Copyright

Legal right granted to creators of original works, protecting literary, artistic, musical, and other creative expressions from unauthorised copying or distribution.

Design Right

IP protection covering the visual appearance of a product, including its shape, configuration, pattern, or ornamentation.

First-to-File

Patent law principle where the right to a patent is awarded to the first person to file an application, regardless of who invented it first.

Freedom to Operate

Analysis determining whether a product or process can be commercialised without infringing existing IP rights held by others.

Intellectual Property

Legal rights protecting creations of the mind, including inventions, designs, brand names, and artistic works.

IP Audit

Systematic review of a company's intellectual property assets to identify, catalogue, and assess their value and protection status.

IP Due Diligence

Investigation of IP assets during mergers, acquisitions, or investments to assess ownership, validity, and risks.

IP Valuation

Process of determining the monetary value of intellectual property assets for licensing, sale, financing, or financial reporting.

Non-Disclosure Agreement

Legal contract establishing confidentiality between parties, preventing the sharing of proprietary information with unauthorised third parties.

Patent Cliff

Sharp decline in revenue experienced when a key patent expires and competitors can freely enter the market with generic versions.

Patent Infringement

Unauthorised making, using, selling, or importing of a patented invention without the patent holder's permission.

Patent Landscape

Comprehensive analysis of patents in a specific technology area, revealing trends, key players, white spaces, and competitive positioning.

Patent Pending

Legal status indicating a patent application has been filed but not yet granted, serving as public notice of the applicant's claim.

Patent Prosecution

Process of drafting, filing, and negotiating a patent application with a patent office until it is granted or abandoned.

Patent Troll

Entity that acquires patents not to manufacture products but to generate revenue through aggressive licensing demands and infringement lawsuits.

Prior Art

Any evidence that an invention was already known or publicly available before a patent filing date, which can prevent a patent from being granted.

Provisional Patent

Temporary patent application providing 12 months of patent-pending status without requiring formal claims or a full examination.

Trade Dress

Protection for the overall visual impression of a product or its packaging that identifies the source to consumers.

Trade Secret

Confidential business information that provides a competitive advantage, protected through secrecy rather than registration.

Utility Patent

Patent protecting new and useful processes, machines, manufactures, or compositions of matter for up to 20 years.

Protect Your IP Today

Understanding IP is the first step. The next step is protecting it. immut provides instant, blockchain-verified proof of your intellectual property — no lawyers required.

Book a CallTry the IP Calculator