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.
Elk Rapids is a village in Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,700 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Elk Rapids Township, near in proximity to Traverse City. Elk Rapids is a suburb. It is physically split by the Elk River, which runs between nearby Elk Lake and Grand Traverse Bay. The village is currently taking steps to ensure that its unique main street with local shops remains intact by restricting development by national chains until the Village Council can work out a long term development plan according to the Town Meeting, October 17, 2008. It has a quaint main street with a collection of small shops selling knickknacks.