Intellectual Property answers questions relating to the highly complex laws governing trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and patents. Presented in question-and-answer format for easy navigation, Intellectual Property is a valuable resource for in-house counsel, other lawyers who do not specialize in intellectual property subjects, local and state government officials, and business professionals.
Benefits
- Answers frequently asked questions in plain language
- Offers succinct definitions of copyright, trademark, trade secret, and patent, plus detailed information on how the law applies to each
- Discusses how the registration process works in various jurisdictions in the U.S.
- Provides information on how to protect intellectual property in a foreign jurisdiction
- Explains the use of non-disclosure and non-competition agreements
- Examines ways to protect customer and supplier lists
Topic Areas
- Basis of trademark law and how it has evolved
- Copyright marks, including letters, numbers, colors, slogans, and symbols
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998
- Distinctions between authorship and ownership
- How the international patent system works
- How to apply for and register a copyright
- How to protect a trade secret that must be disclosed to an employee
- How to search for patents
- How trade secrets can be lost
- Inventions that are created by employees on company time
| - Licensing pitfalls
- The distinction between copyright law and trade secret law
- The protection of business names
- What records inventors should keep
- When a trademark is considered abandoned or infringed, and what remedies are possible
- When and why to apply for registration
- When material does not qualify for copyright protection
- Whether or not third-party assignees can file patent applications
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Features
| Case Studies | Illustrate how the law is being applied across the country |
| Extensive Citations | Facilitate further research |
| Practice Hints | Assist lawyers as they prepare their cases |