what can be used to protect intellectual property
The term intellectual property includes such concepts and rights as copyright, trademarks, industrial design rights, and patents. It is important to remember that IP is a tool to help your endeavours, and not a goal in itself. Having IP for its own sake is pointless.
In March, the U.S. Senate passed what lawyers and intellectual property experts call the most significant--and controversial--change in American patent law since the 1950s: The America Invents Act. America Invents is an attempt to streamline an imploding U.S. patent system.