Information Technology Journal1812-56381812-5646Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/itj.2005.69.74BastaniBehfar FernandezDennis 1200541Intellectual property rights are essential in todays technology-driven age. Building a strategic IP portfolio is economically important from both an offensive and defensive standpoint. Applicable areas in nanotechnology to which intellectual property rights can apply are presented. Some challenging issues surrounding the acquisition of IP rights in nanotechnology are also presented.]]>Rivette, K.G. and D. Kline,20002000Kline, D.,20002000McCabe, K.W.,199864167Anonymous,20012001Merkle, R.C.,1999811Ho, W. and H. Lee,199928617191722Drexler, K.E., D. Forrest, A.R. Freitas, Jr., J.S. Hall and N. Jacobstein et al.,20012001Whitesides, George,19951995Skidmore, G.D., E. Parker, M. Ellis, N. Sarkar and R. Merkle,20012001Merkle, R.,199781822Lent, C.S., P.D. Tougaw, W. Porod and G.H. Bernstein,199344957Goldhaber-Gordon, D., M.S. Montemerlo, J.C. Love, G.J. Opiteck and J.C. Ellenbogen,199785521540Rueckes, T., K. Kim, E. Joselevich, G.Y. Tseng, C. Cheung and C. M. Lieber,20002899497Ong, K.G. and C.A. Grimes,20012 monitoring.]]>1193205Globus, A.,20002000Freitas, Jr. R.A.,199826411430Friedman,20016204391Anonymous,20042004Brown, D.,20022002