What type of intellectual property would a business use to protect its inventions?

A business would use industrial property to protect its inventions because industrial property encompasses the legal rights to inventions, innovations, and designs. This category specifically includes patents, which give inventors exclusive rights to their inventions for a certain period of time, thereby preventing others from making, using, or selling the invention without permission. This protection encourages innovation by providing a financial incentive for inventors, as they can capitalize on their inventions without the threat of immediate competition.

Copyright, on the other hand, primarily protects original works of authorship, such as literature, music, and art, rather than inventions. While intellectual property is a broad term that includes various types of protection, it does not specifically indicate the category relevant to inventions. Trademarks protect brand identifiers, such as logos and brand names, rather than the inventions themselves. Therefore, in the context of protecting inventions, industrial property is the most appropriate type of intellectual property.