AbstractIncreasingly, the activities of the practicing scientist inextricably intersect with the business world. Science is central to the development and delivery of many goods or services, and scientific discovery can directly, or indirectly, lead to substantial revenue generation. Scientists, however, have little training in the complex issues of intellectual property (IP), and often little understanding of their rights and obligations. Here, we define IP and disuss what it means to be an inventor or creator of IP. We define and differentiate between the primary forms of IP—trade secrets, copyright, trademarks, and patents—and discuss their implementation and implications for the practicing scientist.