2 cissp ® Official Study Guide Eighth Edition

Intellectual Property 
America’s role in the global economy is shifting away from a manufacturer of goods and 
toward a provider of services. This trend also shows itself in many of the world’s large indus-
trialized nations. With this shift toward providing services, intellectual property takes on an 
increasingly important role in many fi rms. Indeed, it is arguable that the most valuable assets 
of many large multinational companies are simply the brand names that we’ve all come to 
recognize. Company names such as Dell, Procter & Gamble, and Merck bring instant cred-
ibility to any product. Publishing companies, movie producers, and artists depend on their 
creative output to earn their livelihood. Many products depend on secret recipes or produc-
tion techniques—take the legendary secret formula for Coca-Cola or KFC’s secret blend of 
herbs and spices, for example. 
These intangible assets are collectively referred to as
intellectual property
, and a whole 
host of laws exist to protect the rights of their owners. After all, it simply wouldn’t be fair 
if a music store bought only one copy of each artist’s CD and burned copies for all of its 
customers—that would deprive the artist of the benefi ts of their labor. In the following 
sections, we’ll explore the laws surrounding the four major types of intellectual property—
copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets. We’ll also discuss how these concepts 
specifi cally concern information security professionals. Many countries protect (or fail 
to protect) these rights in different ways, but the basic concepts ring true throughout the 
world. 
Some countries are notorious for violating intellectual property rights. The 
most notable example is China. China is world renowned for its blatant 
disregard of copyright and patent law. If you’re planning to do business in 
this region of the world, you should definitely consult with an attorney who 
specializes in this area.