Intellectual property is often a substantial component of the technology transfer process and is transferred most often through contracts or licenses. The intellectual property of all parties must be protected in the transfer of technology to ensure the commercial viability of the technology. There are several classes of intellectual property, including bailments, copyrights, patents, trademarks, etc. Copyrights grant an exclusive right to authors, composers, artists, or their assignees to copy, exhibit, distribute, or perform their works for a period of the life of author plus 50 years.
Mask works are a relatively new form of intellectual property.
Recognizing the unique nature of semiconductors and the semiconductor industry, Congress enacted the Semiconductor Protection Act of 1984 to protect the masks and other information, e.g., mask databases, used to manufacture semiconductor chip products. A patent does not give the inventor the right to practice his invention only the right to exclude others from doing so. Protection begins when the application is received by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Trademark registration can be obtained from the federal government and often from state governments. Go to the US Copyright Office .