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.
Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Hill County in Northern Central Texas. The population was 8,232 at the 2000 census. Hillsboro, located on Interstate 35 where I-35E and I-35W meet south of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is the primary center for trade and commerce in Hill County. It is located almost midway between the Metroplex and Waco, and is the gateway to the popular Lake Whitney. There are many antique stores located downtown, and a popular outlet mall is located along the Interstate, surrounded by numerous hotels and motels. In addition, Hillsboro has two historic Victorian bed and breakfast homes: 1895 Tarlton House downtown, and The Windmill, is in a country setting six miles west toward Lake Whitney. The city is known for its abundance of restored Victorian homes and its historic county courthouse, which on January 1, 1993 was heavily damaged by an electrical fire. It was rebuilt, courtesy of donations from around the world and two concerts sponsored by Hill County native Willie Nelson. The courthouse (See Hill County, Texas for photograph. ) won the Downtown Association's 1999 award for "Best Restoration". The renovation sparked an interest in restoring Texas's historic courthouses. The Hill County courthouse is eight miles from Willie Nelson's hometown, Abbott. The movie Bottle Rocket, starring Owen and Luke Wilson, was filmed here. They used the Days Inn motel, the High School Football stadium, and Highway 171 leading out of Hillsboro.