by Seno Namwandi

Intellectual Property (IP) is widely spoken of but not always well understood. The IP ecosystem is complex, broad and has to balance varying interests from creators to financiers to consumers. It is relevant to the songwriter, medical technician, architect, software coder, business owner etc. IP is loosely defined as a legal right granted to a property that arises as a result of intellectual activity or creative input. It is inherently a legal right granted by a government body to exclude unauthorized third party use. Enforcement varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction which can be complicated. However, through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), there are a set of uniform legislations and regulations to govern IP.

by Seno Namwandi

Names enable us to identify different people, places, countries and things. Birth certificates, title deeds or other legal arrangements often legitimatize these names. Similarly, business names enable us to identify one enterprise from another. Business names are legitimized through the intellectual property system called trademarks. 

by Seno Namwandi

Intellectual Property has various types of rights under its umbrella. Patents tend to be on the far spectrum of strictness and have one of the highest returns on investment for companies through licensing agreements. On the other end of the spectrum are trade secrets, which are governed by contractual agreements, these tend to be more fluid in nature and therefore more difficult to protect, control and manage. 

by Seno Namwandi

The business economy revolves around what one knows, knowledge is now a commodity and therefore to trade it as a commodity, one has to be able to quantify it. Intellectual Property enables quantification of knowledge expressed in various forms. Intellectual property (IP) is the legal right granted by a government entity to creations that result from one’s intellect and/or creativity. IP enables ownership of these creations and the legalizing element of ownership therefore enables an aspect of trading.