Full Description
Useful tips and step-by-step guidance from filing to issue to license
Acquire and protect your share of this major business asset
Want to secure and exploit the intellectual property rights due you or your company? This easy-to-follow guide shows you how — helping you to evaluate your idea's commercial potential, conduct patent and trademark searches, document the invention process, license your IP rights, and comply with international laws. Plus, you get detailed examples of each patent application type!
Discover how to:
Avoid application blunders
Register trademarks and copyrights
Meet patent requirements
Navigate complex legal issues
Protect your rights abroad
The entire body of U.S. patent laws
Example office actions and amendments
Sample forms
Trademark registration certificates
Application worksheets
See the CD appendix for details and complete system requirements.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Contents
Introduction 1
Part I: Corralling Your IP Assets: Intellectual Property Basics 7
Chapter 1: Marshalling Your IP Tools 9
Chapter 2: Fencing in the Herd 19
Chapter 3: Calling in the Cavalry and Picking Up the Tab 29
Chapter 4: Trade Secrets: Often-Overlooked IP Tools 41
Part II: Going for the Gold: Patenting Your Product 49
Chapter 5: Understanding Patents and How They Work 51
Chapter 6: Testing the Patent Water Before You Dive in 63
Chapter 7: Hoping It Ain't There: The Patent Search 75
Chapter 8: Preparing Your Patent Application 89
Chapter 9: Filing Your Patent Application 109
Chapter 10: Wrestling with the Patent Examiner 123
Chapter 11: Reeling in the Prize: Getting Your Patent Issued 151
Part III: Asserting Your Copyrights 167
Chapter 12: If It's Got Style, You've Got Copyrights 169
Chapter 13: Untangling Ownership Issues 187
Chapter 14: Giving Your Copyright Fangs 197
Part IV: Protecting Your Commercial Identity 217
Chapter 15: Flashing Your Badge 219
Chapter 16: Coining the Next Household Name 233
Chapter 17: Searching for Name Availability 245
Chapter 18: Establishing and Registering Your Commercial Identifier 259
Part V: Making Your IP Rights Work for You 283
Chapter 19: All Abroad: Protecting Your IP Rights in Other Countries 285
Chapter 20: Making 'Em Pay: Licensing Your IP Rights 303
Chapter 21: Catching Them Rustlers (Infringers) 317
Part VI: The Part of Tens 327
Chapter 22: Ten Most Common IP Misconceptions 329
Chapter 23: Ten Patent Application Pitfalls 333
Chapter 24: Ten Practical Copyright FAQs 337
Chapter 25: The Ten Worst Naming Blunders 341
Appendix: How to Use the CD-ROM 345
Index 351
