An intellectual property (IP) infringement is the infringement or violation of an intellectual property right. There are several types of intellectual property rights, such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs, plant breeders rights[1] and trade secrets. Therefore, an intellectual property infringement may for instance be one of the following:
Techniques to detect (or deter) intellectual property infringement include:
Designing around a patent can sometimes be a way to avoid infringing it.
Companies or individuals who infringe on intellectual property rights produce counterfeit or pirated products and services.[2] An example of a counterfeit product is if a vendor were to place a well-known logo on a piece of clothing that said company did not produce. An example of a pirated product is if an individual were to distribute unauthorized copies of a DVD for a profit of their own. In such circumstances, the law has the right to punish. Companies may seek out remedies themselves, however, "Criminal sanctions are often warranted to ensure sufficient punishment and deterrence of wrongful activity".