Intellectual property protection requires meticulous tracking, monitoring, assessing, and evaluating potential risks to your asset. The duration of intellectual property protection varies depending on the nation or state in which you have registered your product, service, or design. In the U.S., patents typically last 20 years from the filing date, but trademarks can last indefinitely as long as they are in use and renewed, and copyrights usually last for the life of the author plus 70 years.