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.

---

intellectual property British  

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of intellectual property

An Americanism dating back to 1840–45

Example Sentences

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

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

For Disney, the deal represented proof that there was a business model for licensing its intellectual property for the use of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company, which historically has licensed intellectual property to chip manufacturers, will be facing off with its own customers.

From Barron's

Gregg Bartlett, chief technology officer of GlobalFoundries, said the lawsuits were necessary to defend the company’s intellectual property and the integrity of the semiconductor industry.

From The Wall Street Journal