Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights

An organization's intellectual property is often among its most valuable assets. As the holder of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, an organization has the legal rights (a) to exclude others from using its intellectual property or (b) to use it subject to licensing fees and restrictions. But these legal rights can be lost if the organization does not secure patent, trademark, or copyright protection as needed, or if it does not handle its intellectual property in a protectable manner.

As the importance and value of intellectual property to organizations continues to grow, employees in research, product development, marketing, sales, and other areas need practical guidance in recognizing issues that affect corporate intellectual property rights. Partaking in proper training for patent law, trademark law, and copyright law can help organizations avoid the loss of legal rights on intellectual property, as well as other potential consequences. 

The topics covered in the course include:

• Overview of intellectual-property law
• Patent ownership
• Patent requirements
• Types of patents
• Applying for a patent
• Patent infringement and remedies
• Trademark ownership
• Trademark requirements
• Safeguarding trademarks
• Trademark infringement and remedies
• Copyright ownership
• Copyright requirements
• Permissible uses of copyrighted materials
• Using copyrighted materials under license
• Copyright infringement and penalties