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Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Property
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Protecting Your Company's Intellectual Property

A Practical Guide to Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Trade Secrets

Deborah E. Bouchoux
AMACOM, 2001
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

In the interests of safety, we’ll refrain from quoting this fine book by Deborah E. Bouchoux, a specialist in intellectual property who teamed with AMACOM to create that rarest of volumes: a straightforward book about law that is simple to read (it’s a formula she should patent). This comprehensive volume covers the nuts and bolts of U.S. patent and trademark law. It also gives advice on how to protect your intellectual property and avoid infringement, and reports on the latest patent trends in high tech. Of most concern for general business managers, Bouchoux reviews how (and why) to conduct intellectual property audits within your organization. With intellectual property emerging as the new corporate treasure of the knowledge economy, getAbstract suggests that research and development managers and executives of every stripe should study this volume carefully. Why should your attorney be the only one who understands what you really own?

Summary

Intellectual Property: You Name It

What’s in a name? Well, the next time you pick up a can of Coca-Cola, notice the logo. The Coca-Cola brand, one of the most widely recognized logos in the world, is worth an estimated $30 billion - a bedrock asset in the company’s intellectual property portfolio.

Many executives fail to protect their companies’ intellectual property because they don’t understand what items are in that category. Your customer lists, your products’ names and logos, your list of potential acquisition targets, your employees’ know-how, your marketing materials and your marketing projections are all protectable intellectual property. While you easily can determine the value of tangible assets - physical plant, machinery, inventory, etc.- the value of intellectual property can be elusive. But before you can capitalize on these assets or protect them, you must identify them. The four main types of intellectual property assets, which often overlap, are trademarks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets.

Trademarks

The average consumer may encounter more than 1,000 trademarks a day. Trademarks include all the names, symbols, designs and slogans...

About the Author

Deborah E. Bouchoux is in-house counsel for an information technology company. Her specialty is intellectual property. She also is an instructor in the legal assistant program at George Washington University. Ms. Bouchoux has authored a number of textbooks on topics as diverse as intellectual property, legal research and writing, and forms of business organizations. She resides in Great Falls, Virginia.

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