Intellectual property is the body of law (statutes and court opinions) that protects a person’s original works. There are generally four types of intellectual property: (1) patents; (2) copyrights; (3) trademarks; and (4) trade secrets. For example, patent law protects the works of people who create new utilities for chemicals and machines (utility patents), new designs (design patents), and new plant varieties (plant patents). Copyright law protects new works of authorship such as books, movie scripts, paintings, poetry, and songs. Trademark law protects the names and identifying marks (logos) of products and companies. And trade secrets are pieces of information that have economic value from not being generally known to the public or discoverable by lawful means, and that the owner strives to keep secret.

In Arizona, as in all states, intellectual property law is primarily governed by federal statutes, due to the interstate and often international nature of intellectual property. Patents are protected under federal law, specifically the United States Patent Act, which provides legal protection for inventors of new utilities, designs, and plant varieties. Copyrights are also protected under federal law by the Copyright Act, which safeguards authors of original works, including literature, music, and art. Trademarks are governed by both federal law, under the Lanham Act, and Arizona state law, which helps protect the distinctive names, logos, and other identifying marks of products and companies. Lastly, trade secrets are protected under the Arizona Uniform Trade Secrets Act as well as the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, which provide remedies for the misappropriation of confidential business information that has economic value and is subject to efforts to maintain its secrecy. It's important for individuals and businesses to understand these laws to ensure the protection of their intellectual property and to avoid infringing on the rights of others.