Intellectual Property is a set of legal rights that protect the creations of the mind such as inventions, literary and artistic works, names, images and designs. Intellectual property is divided into two categories: Industrial Property: includes inventions (patents), utility models, trademarks, designs and industrial models (designs); Copyright: includes literary and artistic creations, and software. [...]

In the 1970s, the value of companies was strongly related to tangible assets (e.g. production plants, machinery, factories, etc.) which represented more than 80% of corporate value, while intangible assets only accounted for the remaining 20%. Today that ratio has been reversed. A company’s intangible assets, such as trademarks, patents, copyright, employee know-how and [...]