Intellectual Property

Intellectual property law protects the creative works of authors, composers, designers, and inventors from being pirated. There are four basic categories of intellectual property: copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. Generally, each category is used with different types of material and affords different protections. Copyrights protect original works of authorship from the moment they are created and fixed in a tangible form. Patents protect new and useful machines, articles, substances, or processes through exclusive rights granted by the federal government to their inventors. Trademarks protect identifying marks that distinguish goods or services, such as names, logos, designs, emblems, and distinctive sounds and smells. Trade secrets protect confidential business information or "proprietary information," such as business plans, chemical formulas, and customer lists.

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Legal articles focusing on Intellectual Property Law
Protecting Intellectual Property
In today's information age, protecting your ideas is everything. Get the low-down on how trademarks, copyright and patents work.
Patent Process
Getting a patent can be a confusing process.
Licensing Agreements
A license is really nothing more than a contractual right that gives someone permission to engage in a defined activity or to use certain property that is owned by someone else. Licenses have taken on special significance as the universal means to protect "proprietary" (ownership) rights in software
Intellectual Property: Selecting a Good Lawyer
Entertainment and intellectual property law cover a very broad spectrum of legal issues involving contracts, patents, trademarks, copyrights and more. The level of expertise of lawyers specializing in these areas can vary from generalists in the field to experts in sub-specialties that may range fro

Ask a Lawyer - Intellectual Property Law questions answered by leading lawyers
How Do I File A Trademark Or Copyright An Advertising Campaign?

How do I trademark or copyright an advertising campaign or a marketing strategy?

Do Photos that I Took Before I Started Employment Belong to the Employer After I Leave That Employment?

What does "a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment" mean? I was a VP of a construction firm. Before being hired by that firm, I owned my own business doing the same kind of work. During my employment with the construction firm, I took photos of work I completed before being hired by that firm. During my employment I did allow the firm to use some photos of my pre-employment work in their advertising. I am now using the photos in my own advertising, and my former employer is claiming that the photos belong to them. Who is right and what can I do about it?

Can You Enforce Rights In An Idea That Was Stolen From You?

I am interested in information concerning intellectual property. If you have solid evidence that you had an idea before someone else and if someone took over your idea, do you have a case?

Can I Use the Content From Other Websites On My Own Website?

I would like to know if I can use parts of text content from third party websites on my own website. Can I incorporate a few sentences from different websites into my website?

How Do I Protect Jewelry Designs?

I've created a new type of jewelry for men's formal wear that I'd like to protect. Without disclosing too much here, how would I protect the idea of a "cufflink" (if it was a "new" idea). How would I then protect each individual "cufflink" design?


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