Intellectual property laws are a set of laws that cover four main areas; patents, trade secrets, copyrights and trademarks.
     Patents are considered property, and may be sold and licensed. Patents are often used as motivation to encourage more work to done in the developing areas of science and bio-diversity. A patent has to be granted by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO.  The USPTO is a branch of the Department of Commerce, and grants these patents for new advances made in machinery, manufacturing processes, or useful compositions. The invention must be new, never seen or used before, and has to show progress over what already exists.
     Trade secrets are confidential pieces of business information that are prohibited from being open to the public. Often these secrets are those that give a company a competitive edge over rival companies. This covers secrets within companies, manufacturers, and industry. A trade secret is considered violated when an unauthorized person becomes aware of the secret information and chooses to reveal the information to another unauthorized source. Trade secrets are protected under the general concept of protection against unfair competition, or the protection of confidential information. Trade secrets can encompass such things as; advertising strategies, sales and distribution methods, supplier and client lists, manufacturing processes, and consumer profiles. 
     Copyrights are protection given to the creators of original works of “authorship.” This includes musical pieces, forms of written expression such as books and poetry, dramatic pieces, and other forms of intellectual work. The owner of a copyright has exclusive rights to their work, and is the only person that can give permission o others to reproduce or copy their original work. If anyone chooses to illegally distribute or copy the original work without the sole permission of the copyright owner, they are subject to legal actions being taken against them.
     A trademark is the word, symbol, device or phrase that is unique to a certain company or individual. For maximum legal protection, a person or company should register their trademark with the United States Patent and Trade office. It is necessary for companies to protect their trademark, as the use of their particular pictures and/or phrases could be damaging to their company if used by others. A trade mark cannot be obtained on common phrases and words, but if put together to form a unique slogan, it can then be trademarked.
     It is the job of patent attorneys to protect and uphold the rights of those who hold patents, trademarks, and copyrights. It is also their job to be aware of advances in technology, and be able to explain and deliver arguments about these advances in a court of law. A patent agent is not qualified to act as an attorney, but is able to handle patent prospection after passing the patent bar examination and proving a technical background. A patent prosecutor can draft a patent application that explains in detail how their clients invention works, how it is different from other inventions, and why it is worthy of patent protection.