Managing Your Intellectual Property Assests (Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Collection)

Most companies can easily and quickly imitate most of their competitors products and services. Therefore, firms need to obtain intellectual property protection. This book examines the legal mechanisms to protect your intellectual property. It defines a patent and explains what characteristics of an invention are necessary to obtain one. It identifies the different types of patents and explains what they protect. It identifies the key parts of a patent and explains what they do. It outlines the trends over time in the expansion of what is patentable and discusses the pros and cons of these trends. It defines patent infringement and explains how patent owners can use the legal system to enforce their patent rights. It discusses the benefits and limitations of patenting and explain when patenting makes the most sense. The book also identifies the role that secrecy plays in protecting intellectual property. It explains when secrecy tends to be an effective mechanism for deterring imitation. It defines a trade secret and explains what characteristics are necessary for something to be a trade secret. It explains why non-disclosure agreements are an important part of efforts to maintain trade secrecy. It defines a copyright, and explains how intellectual property can be protected by copyright. It describes how a copyright is obtained. It defines a trademark, and explains why and how trademarks are beneficial. Finally, it describes how a trademark is obtained.