智慧財產管理總論

智慧財產權管理制度之建立，取決於下列幾個因素；1.正確的智慧財產權觀念；2.自行研發創造的創新技術能力；3.健全的智慧財產權制度、法律與執行辦法；4.智慧財產權利益的合理歸屬與分配；5.良好的經營管理機制與專業人才；6.完整的國內外資訊系統。

智慧財產權的概念源於15世紀威尼斯鼓勵發明及17世紀英國對於防止獨佔的法規，但真正的智慧財產權保護制度直到18世紀末的英美專利法建立後，才漸漸發展成為一個完整的系統。

狹義的智慧財產權(intellectual property rights, IPR)係指以專利(patent)、著作權(copyright)、商標(trademark)、營業祕密(trade secret)半導體電路布局光罩(mask work)及不公平競爭為主，保護人類思想創造之結晶的無體期間、侵害的定義及救濟的方法等，並不盡相同。

Definition
The term "patent" usually refers to a right granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof. The additional qualification "utility patents" is used in countries such as the United States to distinguish them from other types of patents but should not be confused with utility models granted by other countries. Examples of particular species of patents for inventions include biological patents, business method patents, chemical patents and software patents.
Some other types of intellectual property rights are referred to as "patents" in some jurisdictions: industrial design rights are called "design patents" in some jurisdictions (they protect the visual design of objects that are not purely utilitarian), plant breeders' rights are sometimes called "plant patents", and utility models or Gebrauchsmuster are sometimes called "petty patents". This article relates primarily to the patent for an invention, although so-called petty patents and utility models may also be granted for inventions.