The world of patents, copyrights, and trademarks has its share of acronyms, just like any other field. Although when you see IP, you may think “Internet protocol,” in the intellectual property realm, IP stands for, well, intellectual property. The following table lists some of the more commonly used acronyms in the IP world:
| ARIPO | Western Africa Patent Office |
| EAPO | Eurasian Patent Office |
| EFS | Electronic Patent Filing System |
| EPO | European Patent Office |
| EU | European Union |
| IP | Intellectual property |
| MPEP | Manual of Patent Examining Procedure |
| OA | Office action (by a patent or trademark examiner) |
| OAIP | Southeastern African Patent Office |
| OHIM | Office for Harmonization in the International Market (European Trademark Office) |
| OWA | Original work of authorship (protected by copyright) |
| PCT | Patent Cooperation Treaty |
| PVPA | Plant Variety Protection Act |
| PVPO | Plant Variety Protection Office |
| TMEP | Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure |
| UPOV | Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants |
| USC | United States Codes |
| USPTO | United States Patent and Trademark Office |
| TEAS | Trademark Electronic Application System |
| WIPO | World Industrial Property Organization |
| WMFH | Work made for hire |