Intellectual, industrial property and copyright – what is the difference?

What is the relationship between intellectual and industrial property and copyright is an important question, especially when it comes to their protection. Distinguishing and knowing these three concepts is key for every individual or company in their role as creators of both products and services, as well as inventions, works of art, designs, symbols, processes and other intellectual works.

Intellectual property is the broad generic term encompassing industrial property, copyright and other related rights. It includes objects that are the product of human intelligence (although the intervention of artificial intelligence is also emerging in this field) and are the result of thought processes and the intervention of the imagination, materialized in one way or another.

Industrial property, in turn, is a narrower specific concept that includes inventions, utility models, industrial designs, designations (trademarks, company names and geographical indications) and trade secrets. The objects of industrial property are created as a result of mental labor, but through industrial means. For example, the coffee maker is an invention, the fruit of many ideas, the realization of which would not be possible without materials, assemblies, schemes, etc. Their emergence is objectified, but also registered. For the sake of convenience – imagine that registration is the moment when the “industrial” intervenes.

Copyright and its related rights are also a consequence of intellectual activity and are a type of intellectual property. However, they arise with objectification and are not subject to registration. Industry helps them, but not to the extent of displacing the intellect and authorship of man.