IntroductionIntellectual property protects things that are intangible even if they have value. They are given value both through law and through the market. To protect these ideas of mental work, for example, copyright is used to protect these expressions; books, newspapers, paintings, photographs, music, films and television programs are all the result of a creative process. Each of these products is covered by copyright, which protects the interests of the creator. Copyright in these products recognizes both the fact that the author produced an item and the right for the author to be paid for the thought and effort involved in its creation. Copyright laws protect the intellectual property of authors. Intellectual property is essentially a generic name given to copyright, software licenses, trademarks, etc. Each of these forms of intellectual property is protected by the Circuit Layouts Act 1989. This act protects the layout-design of integrated circuits; it also protects three-dimensional plans, on which the electrical components of an integrated circuit are represented. Computer software and files are no different from artistic products, as their creation also requires a lot of thought and effort. Copyright laws cover software. Since producing and maintaining application software requires a large amount of money, skills, time and effort, copyright also protects the large monetary investment made by the software company. The main problems encountered with software are the ease of copying and the difficulty of detecting copyright violations. License agreements specify the legal framework in which the program can be used. The licensing of the software gives the United States...... half the charter ......to promote the progress of science and useful arts, granting a limited right to their respective writings and discoveries”1790The first federal law The United States Copyright Act protects the author of any "book, map, or paper" for a renewable term of 14 years. 1976 Congress adopts the Copyright Revision Act of 1976 after 20 years of study. Great advances in technology, including video, photography, radio, television, and photocopiers, had "stretched" previous copyright protections. 1990 Congress passes the Visual Artist Rights Act, which protects artists' rights of attribution and integrity. Covers paintings, drawings, photographs, prints and sculptures. However, advances in copyright laws have resulted in them being very ineffective, as are most other laws. Piracy took over and people stopped paying for music, movies, online books and software.