Intellectual Property

This chapter addresses the fundamental aspects of intellectual property, a set of legal rights designed to protect human intellectual creations, such as inventions, literary, scientific, or artistic works. Two key international agreements are highlighted: the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. These agreements establish “common standards” with the aim of ensuring fair treatment and protection of intellectual property in different countries. The protection of intellectual property pursues two main objectives: safeguarding the rights of creators and ensuring society’s access to the results of these creations. In addition, it seeks to foster creativity and promote the application of inventions and works in goods and services that solve specific problems. Proper management of intellectual property can have multiple benefits, including promoting knowledge exchange, stimulating economic growth, and generating employment. Not adequately protecting intellectual assets can lead to misappropriation, loss of economic benefits, and use contrary to the original interests of the creations. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt effective measures to ensure the protection of intellectual property and avoid these risks.