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This book clearly explains the fundamentals of patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark, mask
work, and unfair competition laws as they apply to the scientific and engineering community. This is
the book to read before consulting a lawyer; it offers — free of confusing legal jargon — valuable
and easy-to-access legal information on a variety of professional concerns, including: Maintaining
confidentiality in new employment contracts; obtaining software protection; applying for patents,
trademarks, or copyrights; entering into contracts and employment agreements; strategic use and
management of intellectual property; the entrepreneurial use of intellectual property; protection for
domain names; and more. Recommended.
From the Preface: “...[T]he material in this book pertains to protection afforded by the law to
ideas, creations and inventions of engineers, scientists and others covered by the umbrella term
‘technology professionals.’ With technological advancements moving forward today at what appears to be
an exponential rate, the need to transform intangible novel ideas into tangible, protectable assets
has increased...By no means is this text intended to transform you into an intellectual property attorney,
or to do the work of one. The purpose is to provide you with knowledge of a very arcane, but
important, adjunct to the technology professions, that of the protection of the technology you develop, and
the steps necessary to prevent stepping on the intellectual property `toes' of others...”
Target Audience: Engineers, scientists, and all other high-tech professionals in need of guidance
on intellectual property law.
Table of Contents:
Overview of Intellectual Property Law
The Use of Intellectual Property in Business
How to Read and Obtain Information from a Modern U.S. Patent
Introduction to Patents
Patentable Subject Matter and Utility
Novelty — The Invention Must Be New
Requirement of Non-Obviousness for Patentability
The Patenting Process
Novelty, Infringement, and Other Searches
Patent Application
Claims of a Patent Application
Prosecution of a Patent Application
Design Patents
Protection of Computer-Related Inventions
Patentability of Biotechnology Inventions
Business Method Protection
Foreign Patent Protection
Enforcement of the Patent Right
Ownership and Transfer of Patent Rights
Employment Contracts and Non-Compete Restrictions
The Engineer and Scientist as Expert Witness; and Ethics
Copyrights as a Vehicle for Technology Protection
The Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) — An Overview
Mask Work Protection
Trade Secrets
Trademarks
Cybersquatting
Bibliography
Index
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