Today, virtually all companies, artists, and innovators run the risk of losing their competititve edge-and big money-by not adequately safeguarding their intellectual property. Written by an expert in intellectual property law, this is the first book to address the full range of legal protections available-patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and licensing-with innovative information you won't find elsewhere, including: € Legal landmines every successful entrepreneur must avoid € Business practices that can be protected-but are often overlooked € Protecting your intellectual property on the Internet € What are your ideas and the rights to them really worth? € Why trade secrets are a powerful and under-utilized protection € Lessons learned from Amazon.com, Microsoft, and other elite entrepreneurs € How even smart, savvy AOL lost exclusive trademarks, including "YOU'VE GOT MAIL!" The Entrepreneur's Guide to Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets and Licensing is the definitive guide for the entrepreneur and innovator who is ready to protect what he or she has created-a

Today, virtually all companies, artists, and innovators run the risk of losing their competititve edge-and big money-by not adequately safeguarding their intellectual property. Written by an expert in intellectual property law, this is the first book to address the full range of legal protections available-patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and licensing-with innovative information you won't find elsewhere, including: € Legal landmines every successful entrepreneur must avoid € Business practices that can be protected-but are often overlooked € Protecting your intellectual property on the Internet € What are your ideas and the rights to them really worth? € Why trade secrets are a powerful and under-utilized protection € Lessons learned from Amazon.com, Microsoft, and other elite entrepreneurs € How even smart, savvy AOL lost exclusive trademarks, including "YOU'VE GOT MAIL!" The Entrepreneur's Guide to Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets and Licensing is the definitive guide for the entrepreneur and innovator who is ready to protect what he or she has created-a

A company’s most valuable assets may not be physical. This book shows how to protect them without fences or security guards!You can’t touch it or feel it. Sometimes you can’t even see it. Yet, intellectual property continues to soar in value, comprising an increasingly greater portion of a typical company’s assets. In the age of instant global communication, understanding what intellectual property is, how to protect it, and how to enhance its value are prerequisites for corporate survival.Enter attorney Deborah E. Bouchoux and her informative book, Protecting Your Company’s Intellectual Property. Packed with fascinating and illuminating examples, this book is a succinct, yet comprehensive discussion of the four key areas of intellectual property: trademarks,copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. In addition to defining these areas (for instance, did you know that customer lists and marketing plans are protectable trade secrets?), the book offers practical tools for protecting intellectual property, including:Trademark and copyright application formsSample employment agreementsAn Internet usage policyTips on preventing unauthorized dissemination of information via the WebA guide for conducting an IP auditAnd much, much more.

Today, virtually all companies, artists, and innovators run the risk of losing their competititve edge-and big money-by not adequately safeguarding their intellectual property. Written by an expert in intellectual property law, this is the first book to address the full range of legal protections available-patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and licensing-with innovative information you won't find elsewhere, including: € Legal landmines every successful entrepreneur must avoid € Business practices that can be protected-but are often overlooked € Protecting your intellectual property on the Internet € What are your ideas and the rights to them really worth? € Why trade secrets are a powerful and under-utilized protection € Lessons learned from Amazon.com, Microsoft, and other elite entrepreneurs € How even smart, savvy AOL lost exclusive trademarks, including "YOU'VE GOT MAIL!" The Entrepreneur's Guide to Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets and Licensing is the definitive guide for the entrepreneur and innovator who is ready to protect what he or she has created-a

This book is intended as both a primer on intellectual property law and as a general reference for authors, artists, musicians, librarians, entrepreneurs and others interested in learning about intellectual property law and the processes for obtaining copyrights, trademarks and patents in the U.S. and through international agreements.The main text provides a brief orientation on the relevant law and on the process and cost of applying for patents and trademarks through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and copyrights through the U.S. Copyright Office. In order to make this book as useful as possible as a one-stop reference resource, I have collected and included selective statutory materials, sample forms, and other useful resources in appendices to provide greater depth and context for the material presented in the main text.This book will serve as a general reference guide with timely, useful information and direct you to additional sources of information both in its comprehensive appendices and online that are available free of charge from a variety of sources. It does not offer legal advice. An attorney can provide you with legal advice tailored to your specific needs, and neither this book nor any of the self-help guides or readily available document preparation services is a substitute for retaining the advice of an experienced lawyer.

This is the eBook version of the printed book. This Element is an excerpt from The Truth About Starting a Business (9780137144501), by Bruce R. Barringer. Available in print and digital formats. Failing to protect your intellectual property can destroy your business. Learn how to keep it from happening to you. Imagine you’ve started a business to produce a new type of smoke alarm specifically for kitchens. It’s similar to other smoke alarms but is more capable of detecting a kitchen fire than any alarm on the market. You’ve named it “Kitchen Sentry.” Your tagline is “We Protect Cooks and Kitchens.” You just acquired the Internet domain name www.kitchensentryfirmalarm.com. Fortunately, while you were developing your product, you....

This is a general reference book for authors, artists, musicians, librarians, entrepreneurs and others interested in learning about intellectual property law and the processes for obtaining copyrights, trademarks and patents in the U.S. and other countries through international agreements. It is designed to be a one-stop reference guide that provides information and guidance for individuals considering obtaining copyrights, patents and/or trademarks on their own or with the assistance of an attorney. The main text provides an orientation to the relevant law and the process and cost of applying for patents and trademarks through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and copyrights through the U.S. Copyright Office. This book provides a wealth of resources that include illustrations, an index, links to online resources, selective statutory materials, sample forms, and other useful materials in appendices to provide greater depth and context for the material presented in the main text. This accessible, practical reference book will provide timely, useful information and identify additional resources available free of charge from both the federal government and every state. It does not offer legal advice and is intended to supplement rather than supplant the legal advice and individualized guidance that can only be provided by an attorney.