Protecting Your Ideas

Read Protecting Your Ideas: An Overview of Intellectual Property Law at tyla.org.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction .........................................................................................................1
        A. What is Intellectual Property?.....................................................................1
        B. What Are the Different Types of Intellectual Property?...............................2 

II. Patents...............................................................................................................2
        A. Obtaining a Utility Patent ..........................................................................2
        B. Obtaining a Design Patent.........................................................................4
        C. Employers’ “Shop Rights” to Employees’ Inventions ................................5
        D. What Now? Making Sure Nobody Infringes Your Patent ..........................6
        E. Avoiding Infringing Others’ Patents ...........................................................6
        F. Online Resources for Further Patent Information ......................................7

III. Trademarks ......................................................................................................7
        A. Getting Rights in a Trademark ..................................................................9
        B. What Now? Making Sure Nobody Infringes your Trademark....................11
        C. Avoiding Infringing Others’ Trademarks ...................................................12
        D. Online Resources for Further Trademark Information ..............................13

IV. Copyrights ........................................................................................................13
       A. What Can be Copyrighted? ........................................................................14
       B. What Cannot be Copyrighted?....................................................................15
       C. Who Owns the Copyright? .........................................................................15
       D. What Can I Do With a Copyright? ..............................................................16
       E. What Can’t I Do With a Copyright? ............................................................17
       F. Obtaining a Copyright .................................................................................17
       G. How Long Does A Copyright Last?.............................................................18
       H. What Now? Making Sure Nobody Infringes Your Copyright. .....................18
       I. Avoiding Infringing Others’ Copyrights .........................................................19
       J. Online Resources for Further Copyright Information ....................................19
       K. Frequently Asked Questions About Copyrights ...........................................19

V. Trade Secrets ......................................................................................................21
       A. Protecting Trade Secrets ............................................................................. 21
       B. What Now? Making Sure Nobody Misappropriates Your Trade Secret.........22
       C. Avoiding Misappropriating Others’ Trade Secrets..........................................22
       D. Online Resources for Further Trade Secret Information.................................23

VI. Conclusion ...........................................................................................................24

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