Intellectual Property and Security in the Integrated Circuits Industry

Abstract

The production of integrated circuits (IC) is key to the development of the world economy. The system of intellectual property offers different means of protection for the products of the IC industry. Those are mainly the patents for inventions, registration of topologies of ICs, trade secrets, copyright. The economics of the IC industry in the late 20th century moves different processes in different regions of the world. This economic reality provides an opportunity for those companies to invest heavily in R&D, to create valuable intellectual property and to develop a competitive advantage. The historical development of integrated circuit manufacturing, the development of the main companies involved in the sector and the existing supply chains, raise a number of questions that are related to the concentration of innovation and intellectual property, the potential problems for global supply and economic development, as well as the steps towards overcoming those problems.