What are the main types of intellectual property protection?

Intellectual property protection is essential for safeguarding the rights of creators and inventors over their inventions and creative works. The correct answer identifies the main types of intellectual property protection, which include patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Patents provide inventors with exclusive rights to their inventions for a limited time, preventing others from making, using, or selling the patented product without permission. Trademarks protect symbols, names, and slogans used to identify goods or services, ensuring that consumers can distinguish between different brands. Copyrights protect original works of authorship, such as literature, music, and art, granting creators control over the reproduction and distribution of their work. Trade secrets encompass confidential business information that provides a competitive edge, such as formulas, practices, or processes, provided they remain secret.

The other options do not pertain to intellectual property. Liability waivers, business contracts, and bankruptcy filings relate to legal agreements and liabilities in business operations, while employee agreements, investment disclosures, and profit sharing focus on employment and financial relationships within a company. Import/export licenses, regulatory approvals, and sales permits involve compliance with trade regulations and do not constitute forms of intellectual property protection.