Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets. Intellectual property law involves advising and assisting individuals and businesses on the development, use, and protection of intellectual property -- which includes ideas, artistic creations, engineering processes, scientific inventions, and more.
Belle Plaine is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,878 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. Belle Plaine is located on both the historic Lincoln Highway and the cross country tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad. The Belle Plaine area was hard hit by the February 24, 2007 ice storm with power outages.