Kimon Systems recently developed a new manufacturing process for microprocessors. The company wants to license the technology to other companies for use but wants to prevent unauthorized use of the technology. What type of intellectual property protection is best suited for this situation?

Patents and trade secrets can both protect intellectual property related to a manufacturing process. Trade secrets are appropriate only when the details can be tightly controlled within an organization, so a patent is the appropriate solution in this case. Copyrights are used to protect creative works, while trademarks are used to protect names, logos, and symbols.