Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets - What Automation Professionals, Manufacturers, and Business Owners Need to Know

Description

This book’s non-legal style provides easy-to-read guidelines for automation professionals, manufacturers, and business owners who need to protect their ideas and inventions as assets or understand better how to respect the Intellectual Property rights of others. Equipment, tools, software, chemical formulations, connectors, controllers, sensors, pumps, engines, their components, and other related devices are likely the Intellectual Property of the individual, company, or group who created them. The author emphasizes how to obtain and use patents, trademarks, copyrights, and maintain trade secrets by identifying those assets as Intellectual Property while providing useful tips and practical insight on obtaining and maintaining property. The author also highlights the use, sale, protection, and transfer of Intellectual Property for those who have identified or have pending patents, marks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Numerous scenarios illustrate what can happen when individuals, a company, group, or other business form do not take the proper steps to protect the property. This book also highlights the following areas: U.S., State, and Foreign Trademarks, Benefits of having a patent, trademark, or copyright, and Protection of Intellectual Property. Content: Front Matter • Table of Contents • Introduction 1. What is Intellectual Property? 2. The Goal of Intellectual Property - Innovation and Examples of IP 3. Examples of Discoveries... "Inventions" and "Ownership of Inventions" 4. What Makes an Invention Patentable? 5. Examples of Works of Authorship... "Copyrightable Work" 6. Examples of Trademarks 7. Examples of Trade Secrets and Secrecy Agreements 8. Five Financial Reasons to Identify and Register Intellectual Property 9. Three Basic Licensing Fees 10. Two Techniques to Identify Assets also Known as "Inventions" 11. Creating an Inventor Awareness Program 12. Creating an Inventor Reward Program 13. United States Utility Patent Application Process 14. Provisional Patent Applications - A Low Stress Step 15. Five Strategies to Consider • 16. How Long Does Intellectual Property Last? 17. The United States Federal Trademark Application Process 18. Trademark Rejections and Overcoming Them 19. The Trademark Classes - One Filing Does NOT Cover All • 20. A Checklist of Activities to Identify Names, Logos, and Slogans • 21. Proper Use of Trademark™ and Registered® • 22. Benefits of Federal Trademarks • 23. Trademark Watching Services • 24. Take the Trademark Quiz... 25. Six Types of Copyrightable Works • 26. Fair Use Exemptions to Copyright Infringement • 27. Ten Easy Steps to Identify Secrets That Provide a Commercial Advantage to a Business 28. International Intellectual Property • Helpful Resources Index