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8: Intellectual Property

  • Page ID
    151488
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    • 8.1: Introduction to Intellectual Property
      This page discusses the significance of intellectual property (IP) in business, highlighting its value over physical assets and the legal protections it offers. It covers Congressional authority and methods of IP protection.
    • 8.2: Patents
      This page offers a comprehensive look at patents, covering types (utility, design, plant), criteria for patentability (usefulness, novelty, non-obviousness), and ownership rights to exclude others. It highlights the complexity of patent law, the role of the USPTO, and the rise in patent filings, particularly for business methods.
    • 8.3: Trade Secrets
      This page elaborates on trade secrets, defining them as valuable, secret information protected from disclosure. Unlike patents, which expire and require public knowledge, trade secrets can last indefinitely as long as they remain secret.
    • 8.4: Trademarks
      This page offers a comprehensive overview of trademark law, covering definitions, protections under the Lanham Act, and various types of marks such as service and certification marks. It highlights the significance of consumer identification, challenges from the internet, and the balance between trademark rights and free speech.
    • 8.5: Copyright
      This page outlines copyright as an automatic intellectual property protection for original works, lasting 70 years after the author's death. It highlights the roles of licensing, copyright infringement, and fair use, which permits limited use based on specific factors.


    This page titled 8: Intellectual Property is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Terri Brown via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.