intellectual property

American  

noun

1. Law. property that results from original creative thought, as patents, copyright material, and trademarks.

2. an individual product of original creative thought.

   Microsoft’s Halo franchise is one of the most profitable intellectual properties in the video game industry.

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intellectual property British  

noun

1. an intangible asset, such as a copyright or patent

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Etymology

Origin of intellectual property

An Americanism dating back to 1840–45

Example Sentences

Bhargava didn’t go quietly; according to legal filings, he threatened to delete Sports Illustrated’s archive of intellectual property.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Those being approached often don’t have the right to sell the intellectual property.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The AI-related issues confronting content creators such as Disney start with fears that they will lose control over their own intellectual property.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The lawyers added that former collaborators in the project had "unlawfully transferred the business and intellectual property assets of System de Min to a new company" not in their client's name.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

And part of your job, aside from parsing abstract intellectual property issues for big corporations, is to help cultivate the next set of young lawyers being courted by the firm.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama