Global Virtual Teams (GVTs) have become increasingly prevalent, driven by globalization and technological advancements. This study investigated the impact of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) as an incentive to foster trust among members of GVTs and examined how companies manage GVTs to balance the protection of IPR with the ongoing development of innovative products and processes. To explore these research objectives, we employed a qualitative research approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews with six participants of GVTs from four multinational corporations, and reports from the companies. The results showed that industrial and software companies have some differences about IPR protection. Industrial companies are more concerned with internal safety and confidentiality culture and protocols. Software companies, on the other hand, were more concerned about internal IP rules and reward employees for patents they were involved in, among other incentives to creativity and innovation. To minimize the possibility of ideas leaking, software companies often adopt a modular product design strategy, which involves dividing the final product into smaller, independent components, which might be the reason IPR was seen at a different perspective.