EXBUSN 346 - Protecting Your Ideas: Intellectual Property Law for Entrepreneurs

Course Description

The course will define intellectual property and discuss patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, including: (1) types of patents, the legal requirements for obtaining a patent, deadlines for filing a patent, the duration of patent rights, how to apply for a patent, and what happens after an application is filed; (2) trademarks, trademarks classifications, eligibility for federal and state registration, of trademarks, benefits of registration, domain names as trademarks, the process of trademark registration, and the duration of trademarks; (3) copyright protection for certain works of authorship and art, works made for hire, the duration of copyrights, use of the copyright symbol, registration of copyrights, and fair use of other's copyrighted materials; and (4) the distinction between trade secrets and patents; what qualifies as a trade secret, advantages and disadvantages of trade secret protection over patenting, how to protect trade secrets, and trade secret laws.