What protects the intellectual property implemented by inventors?

Intellectual property (IP) law divides protection into distinct categories based on what is being protected: patents cover inventions and technical innovations, copyright covers original creative and literary works, trademarks cover brand-identifying signs such as names and logos, and registered designs cover only the visual or ornamental appearance of a product.

The question asks specifically about protecting intellectual property that inventors implement - that is, their inventions and technical innovations. Patents are the legal instrument that grants inventors exclusive rights over such inventions, so Patents is the protection that applies here.

• Registered design safeguards only the visual or ornamental appearance of a product, not the underlying technical function an inventor creates.

• Copyright protects original creative and literary expression, such as books, music, or written code, not the technical substance of an invention.

• Trademark protects brand-identifying signs - names, logos, symbols - used to distinguish goods and services, not the invention itself.

Among the protections listed here, only patents grant legal protection over the technical substance of an invention, making Patents the correct answer.