Stand Number: 162
Intellectual Property Office
What counts as intellectual property
Intellectual property is something unique that you physically create. An idea alone is not intellectual property. For example, an idea for a book doesn`t count, but the words you`ve written do.
Owning intellectual property
You own intellectual property if you:
created it (and it meets the requirements for copyright, a patent or a design)
bought intellectual property rights from the creator or a previous owner
have a brand that could be a trade mark, eg a well-known product name
Intellectual property can:
have more than one owner
belong to people or businesses
be sold or transferred
Intellectual property if you`re self-employed
If you`re self-employed, you usually own the intellectual property even if your work was commissioned by someone else - unless your contract with them gives them the rights.
You usually won`t own the intellectual property for something you created as part of your work while you were employed by someone else.
