Intellectual property is a general term for describing the prescription of exclusive rights over certain creative entities. Intellectual properties are generally broken down into three distinct groups: copyrights, trademarks, and patents. Copyrights are handled by the United States Copyright Office, which is a department of the Library of Congress. Copyrights are governed by the Copyright Act of 1976 and provide rights to "original works of authorship" that are expressed in a tangible format. Trademarks and patents filings go through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Trademarks are granted to particular representations of an individual or organization that is meant to distinguish goods or services between manufacturers. Patents are given to original inventors as a way of excluding others from making, using and selling their creations in the United States, as well as importing them from other countries.