Information from an expert (Rob Allred's sister, Jari Brooks)
Intellectual Property - The right to protect a creative idea. It isn't specific.
Four kinds: patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets. They may be sold or assigned.
Patents - Instruct on how to make an invention. Good only for 20 years.
Copyrights - Books, software, movies. Good for 70 years, no registration required.
Trademarks - Protect reputations. A symbol, word or phrase. Registration last 10 years.
Trade Secrets - Protect formulas, techniques, programs, information lists. The rights expire when the information is released.
The US patent office recieves 1,000 patent applications a day.
Patents are a good way to protect an invention. Enforcing Patent Rights must be done by the owner. I letter stating to discontinue use, or a license may be sold to violators. Intellectual property insurance may be obtained to. Whatever, the enforcement is up to the patent owner.
WOW - Buying the web address WWW.ProcterAndGamble.Com is Evidence of Bad Faith according to the document I'm reading. Buying a name like that is considered malicious.