Intellectual property is widely debated among business, universities and in some cases governments. Intellectal property rights can be condusing and in some cases unclear. Critics believe the term should be abandoned, while proponents see value and benefits by keeping the term. The American Federation of Teachers outlines the issues dealing with intellectual property. Throughout history, people have had ideas and inventions that would have been considered intellectual property. The term intellectual property was "coined" when the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was created in 1967. "This international protection acts as a spur to human creativity, pushing forward the boundaries of science and technology and enriching the world of literature and arts" (2000). According to the Introduction of Intellectual Property: Theory and Practice, published in 1997 by WIPO, intellectual property is "the legal rights which result from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literacy, and artistic fields" (1997).

In the follwoing video, Dr. Maggie Lang discusses what intellectual property is and how it protect things that are "intangible".

The video Overview of copyright laws, intellectual property rights, trade secrets, patents and trademarks is an interview of patent attorney, Everitt Beers. He discusses four ways to protect intellectual property: patent law, trade secrets law, copyright law and trademark law.