Intellectual property (IP), or “creations of the mind,” can refer to everything from an inventor’s creation to an artist’s painting. These important innovations are protected by trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets.

IP encourages innovation and rewards entrepreneurs, drives economic growth and competitiveness, creates and supports good jobs, protects consumers and families, and helps generate breakthrough solutions to global challenges.

Everyone! IP drives our economy, creates jobs, facilitates the development of products and services that improve and enrich our lives, and allows consumers to make an informed choice about product quality and safety.

IP rights affect every industry, including fashion, auto, medical, energy, entertainment, electronics, biotech, and green tech.

Around the world, the current IP regime is under attack from foreign governments, NGOs, and special interest groups.

• Thailand and Brazil continue to issue compulsory licenses in an improper manner on patent-protected medicines developed by U.S. companies, often without prior consultation with the patent holder.
• Special interest groups have attacked the very concept of IP at UN agencies like the World Health Organization.
• Officials from China and India, both of which are major CO2 emitters, assert that they cannot meet new emissions requirements without free or significantly discounted access to cleaner and more energy efficient technologies.

Strengthening and defending IP rights requires efforts in the United States and abroad in foreign capitals and multilateral organizations. The Global IP Center’s IP promotion and enforcement efforts are guided by three goals:

• Strengthen government support for IP in the U.S.
• Improve and defend IP globally, in multilateral forums, and in key countries.
• Raise awareness and increase support for the value of innovation and IP with key audiences.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “the patent system added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius…”  IP protections ensure that American scientists, engineers, artists, writers, entrepreneurs and innovators recoup their investment and are rewarded for their work, incentivizing them to develop new ideas.

The patent system is the engine of the idea factory. In exchange for exclusive rights for a limited period of time, the inventor must publicly disclose the technical know-how behind a new invention. This allows other innovators to leverage past discoveries, constantly injecting new ideas into the public domain.