Intangible good
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An intangible good is something that provides utility which does not have a physical nature, as opposed to a physical good (an object).[1] Intangible goods do not have a physical presence, but "ownership rights exist for them (established with patents and copyrights), they can be stored, and their ownership transferred."[2]
Digital goods such as downloadable music, mobile apps or virtual goods used in virtual economies are proposed to be examples of intangible goods.[3] Other examples of intangible goods include "scientific inventions, and "originals" such as the words in a book manuscript or the images stored on a film master." [4] Another example of a category of intangible goods is intellectual property.[5]
In contrast, tangible goods have a physical presence. Examples include "newspapers, music CD's, and movie DVD's." These are the "physical expression of intangible goods that can be copyrighted." [6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "What are intangible goods?". JWP. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ^ "North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) Canada [Provisional Version 0.1] – Introduction". https://www.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "Intangible product". Collins Dictionary.
- ^ "North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) Canada [Provisional Version 0.1] – Introduction". https://www.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) Canada [Provisional Version 0.1] – Introduction". https://www.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) Canada [Provisional Version 0.1] – Introduction". https://www.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website=
Further reading
[edit]- Bannock, Graham et al.. (1997). Dictionary of Economics, Penguin Books.
- Hill, Peter 1999. "Tangibles, intangibles and services: a new taxonomy for the classification of output." Canadian Journal of Economics. Vol. 32, no. 2. April. p. 426-447.
- Milgate, Murray (1987), "goods and commodities," The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, v. 2, pp. 546–48. Includes historical and contemporary uses of the terms in economics.
