The four main categories of valuable intangible assets for a company or an individual include patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
Any situation where a person or company violates someone else’s intellectual property rights by using IP without permission constitutes a violation of copyright law. Using a trademarked or patented asset without permission similarly constitutes trademark or patent infringement. The punishment for these violations varies depending on the situation and the state.
Intellectual property attorneys can be used for personal or professional situations. If you are, for example, a writer who has created a piece of fiction, you might want to protect it before you publish it online. You can choose to handle copyright information when you publish your piece on your own, or you can have an attorney help you.