What is Intellectual Property? Top definitions of this controversial and contempory topic.

Intellectual Property and Copyright have become big name terms in recent years. The rise of unlicensed digital file sharing, combined with subjective interpretations of what the concepts mean, has led to furious flurries of opinion on the subject, emphasising the divide between artists, consumers and industry leaders.

Leaving aside any discussion of the practical implications of intellectual property laws, here are some of the more weighty definitions of what constitutes IP. Links to the full definitions are included.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) WIPO is the United Nations agency dedicated to the use of intellectual property (patents, copyright, trademarks, designs, etc.) as a means of stimulating innovation and creativity. It defines intellectual property as: '...creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce. It is divided into two categories:  Industrial property, which includes patents and trademarks; and Copyright, which includes literary and artistic works, including performance and broadcasting rights.'

Intellectual Property Explorer This site was developed by the Governments of Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore designed to help the non-expert to identify and protect their IP assets, and its 'Beginner's Primer' to Intellectual Property categorises the concepts as: patents (for new or improved products and services) trade marks (for logos and brands) registered designs (for the shape or appearance of a product) plant breeder's rights (for new plant varities), copyright (including software, databases, and other copyright works), and circuit layout design rights. It also states that 'Intellectual Property... is described as 'property' because, just like other property, it can be owned, sold and transferred, leased or given away.'

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a freely-accessible online encyclopedia of philosophy maintained by Stanford University and written by experts in its field. This article gives a slightly different cast to the definition of intellectual property by pondering its many criticisms and moral justifications and providing detailed history about the rise of the concept. 'Intellectual property is generally characterized as non-physical property that is the product of original thought. Typically, rights do not surround the abstract non-physical entity; rather, intellectual property rights surround the control of physical manifestations or expressions of ideas. Intellectual property protects rights to ideas by protecting rights to produce and control physical instantiations of those ideas.'

Related Links and Sources
WIPO IP Handbook http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/iprm/
Understanding Copyright http://www.wipo.int/freepublications/en/intproperty/909/wipo_pub_909.html
WIPO http://www.wipo.int
Intellectual Property Explorer http://intellectualpropertyexplorer.com
Cambridge Dictionaries Online http://dictionary.cambridge.org
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/intellectual-property/
United States Patent and Trademark Office http://www.uspto.gov/
Intellectual Property Rights UK http://www.ipr.co.uk/
A standard definition of intellectual property rights for use in a commercial agreement. http://ipandit.practicallaw.com/1-201-3359