Soft intellectual property (also sometimes, and confusingly (see below), abbreviated to "soft IP"[1]) is sometimes used to refer to trademarks, copyright, design rights and passing off, in contrast to "hard intellectual property", which is sometimes used to refer to patents.[2][3] Use of this phrase is controversial among IP practitioners.[4][5]
The phrase "soft intellectual property" or Soft IP also refers to a system for licensing patents proposed in 2008. See Soft IP.
In the semiconductor industry the term has a different meaning described at Types of IP cores.
References
edit- ^ "Soft IP Litigation". www.eisenfuhr.com (in German). Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Specialisations: IP Archived 2008-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, Law Careers.net. Consulted on March 14, 2009.
- ^ ip4inno web site, Topic Browser. Consulted on March 14, 2009.
- ^ Eric Goldman, Let's Stop Using the Term “Soft IP,” Technology & Marketing Law Blog, Jan. 8, 2013
- ^ Amanda Levendowski, Hard Truths About Soft IP, Colum. L. Rev. Forum (2023 Forthcoming)