intellectual property
Americannoun
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Law. property that results from original creative thought, as patents, copyright material, and trademarks.
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an individual product of original creative thought.
Microsoft’s Halo franchise is one of the most profitable intellectual properties in the video game industry.
noun
Etymology
Origin of intellectual property
An Americanism dating back to 1840–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unlike traditional taxes on income or real estate, it would apply to financial assets—including unrealized capital gains on stocks—as well as art, intellectual property and other holdings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
In this decade, music publishing has become sought-after intellectual property, acquired by companies funded by private-equity firms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
The agreement covers trade in goods and services, intellectual property rights, trade remedies and sustainable development, among other areas, both parties say.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
Character.ai said before the bankruptcy filing it struck an agreement with Disney in which the entertainment company agreed to pay $20 million to license certain intellectual property from the AI startup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
He is getting the intellectual property from these three applications, said Juster, and they are empowering him to start a company with very little money.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
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