It has been a while now that technology in relation to Intellectual property rights has become the major discussion forum for town. But how are they related? How does Intellectual property apply to software technology? Why should you protect them? How do you protect them?

Intellectual property rights are the groundwork of the software industry. The term refers to a range of intangible rights of ownership in an asset such as a software program. Each intellectual property “right” is itself an asset, a slice of the overall ownership cake. The law provides different methods for protecting these rights of ownership based on their type.

There are essentially four types of intellectual property rights relevant to software: patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. Each affords a different type of legal protection. Patents, copyrights and trade secrets can be used to protect the technology itself. Trademarks do not protect technology, but the names or symbols used to distinguish a product in the marketplace.