A monopoly granted by the U.S. Patent Office for a limited time to the creator of a new invention.

Intangible property that is a product of the imagination (i.e., copyrights, trademarks, and patents).

A guideline that determines how much of a copyrighted item can legally be used without permission.

A form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression.

To steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one's own, or to use another's production without crediting the source.

Allows a purchaser to transfer a lawfully made copy of the copyrighted work without permission once it has been obtained. A copyright holder's rights to control the change of ownership of a particular work end once that copy is sold, as long as no additional copies are made.

A word or symbol used to identify a product or service in the marketplace.

Works for which copyright protection has expired, and works created by officers or employees of the U.S. government as part of their government jobs.

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

Consent to use a work, usually by reprinting or reproducing it in some other work.

A relatively new technology that allows musical works to be played, recorded, and stored in digital format for use on computers or other devices.