Intellectual Property is a term that refers generally to patents, trademarks, and copyrights. A Patent is protective of an invention.  Inventions can be machines, processes, articles of manufacture, and compositions of matter.  Additionally, in order to be granted a patent, the applicant must present an application and prove that the subject matter is new, useful, and non-obvious. A trademark is typically protective of a name or other identifying information relating to goods and services.  Trademarks are intended to protect the consumer from being confused as to the source of goods or services associated with a mark. A copyright is typically protective of works in the creative arts. Each of these aspects of intellectual property are utilized in order to provide rights to applicants in their respective fields.