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

IBM and the Commerce Department each will contribute $1 billion of cash into Anderon, with IBM providing “significant intellectual property, assets, and a skilled workforce.”

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Bias, child protection and intellectual property involve a much larger universe of developers and deployers, and existing regulatory models can answer those challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

"We still have the same problems today with market access, intellectual property rights, subsidies…the list goes on," he said.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Mattel also has valuable intellectual property that could interest large media companies, Southeastern said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

“No way intellectual property will be controlled,” he said.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz