Goodwill is an accounting concept meaning the value of an entity over and above the value of its assets.

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state (national government) to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention. A copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to the creator of an original work or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for public disclosure of the work. The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission. Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. A trademark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. A brand name that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. The names of persons who have agreed to take a newspaper, magazine or other publication, placed upon paper, is a subscription list. Non-compete agreements are often drafted as part of a basic employment contract, or are included as a separate document that is reviewed and signed at the beginning of a term of employment.