Intellectual Property a Guide for Engineers: A Guide for Engineers : A Project for the Committee on Issues Identification, American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Because of their inherent role as creators and managers of new technology, engineers need a basic understanding of the various forms of intellectual property and their underlying laws and governing principles.This new guide answers important questions such as: What should the scope of patent protection be for new software and business methods in e-commerce? Should transgenic plants and animals be protected by patents worldwide? Is patent protection for the human genome consistent with future advances in biotechnology? Can traditional trademark rights be accommodated in assigning Internet domain names? Can traditional copyright protection be enforced in an era of instantaneous and worldwide publication via the Internet? Will the new Federal Economic Espionage Act adequately protect privately owned trade secrets targeted by post-Cold War foreign espionage? Given U.S. leadership in the global economy, will the current national systems of intellectual property protection mature into effective multinational systems?