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Legal

Intellectual Property

Also known as ip, intellectual property rights

Things your business created that it legally owns even though you cannot touch them — your code, brand name, designs and inventions.

Example

If a contractor writes your app without signing an IP assignment, they may legally own that code, not you.

Related terms

NDA
A contract where two sides promise to keep shared information secret. Common before sharing sensitive plans or code.
Trademark
Legal protection for your brand name and logo, so competitors cannot trade under a confusingly similar identity.
Patent
Exclusive legal rights over an invention for a fixed number of years, in exchange for publishing how it works.
Copyright
Automatic ownership of original creative work you produce — writing, code, designs, video. You get it the moment you create it; registration just makes it easier to prove.

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