Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are legal rights granted to individuals or entities over the results of their intellectual creations. IPR aims to protect and provide exclusive rights to the owner in the use and exploitation of the intellectual works they have created. With this protection, creators or rights holders can enjoy economic benefits and prevent others from using their works without permission.

Types of Intellectual Property Rights
IPR is divided into two main categories: Industrial Property Rights and Copyright.

A. Industrial Property Rights

Industrial Property Rights cover the protection of innovations that have commercial value, including:

• Patents: Exclusive rights granted to inventors for technological inventions that contain novelty, an inventive step, and industrial applicability. Patents are valid for 20 years from the filing date.
• Trademarks: Rights that protect signs such as names, logos, symbols, or combinations thereof used to distinguish the goods or services of one company from another.
• Industrial Designs: Protection for the aesthetic or ornamental design of a product that has aesthetic and functional value.
• Geographical Indications: Rights over signs indicating the geographical origin of a product that possesses specific qualities or characteristics due to its geographical location.
• Trade Secrets: Protection for confidential business information that has economic value and is kept secret by its owner.

B. Copyright

Copyright provides protection for works in the fields of art, literature, and science, including:

• Books, Music, and Films: Protecting the rights of creators over written works, musical compositions, and audiovisual works.
• Computer Programs: Protection for software as intellectual creations.
• Works of Art and Graphic Design: Including paintings, sculptures, and other graphic works.
• Photography and Architectural Works: Exclusive rights over photographs and building designs that have artistic value.