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Notes -
Trademarks for the name, copyright for the unique artistic expression, and patents for any unique game mechanics.
That said, D&D has always been a "bad" intellectual property, because the "core" bits of it are things no one can own. There are thousands of systems that allow you to sit around a table, roll dice and play pretend your friends, and most of them are cheaper than D&D (some are even free!) D&D will always be the biggest or second biggest name in the RPG space, but whether you prefer narrative or heavy mechanics, massive rule tomes or printable minigames, it's safe to say no one will ever "own" the idea of tabletop RPGs on the whole, and all you need is a few like-minded friends to get out from under Hasbro and WotC's thumb if you want.
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