Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks For Dummies

381 Pages·2008·2.41 MB·English

by  Henri J. A. Charmasson

Patents, Copyrights
& Trademarks
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2
ND EDITION
by Henri Charmasson and John Buchaca
Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks For Dummies,® 2nd Edition
Published by
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Copyright © 2008 by H. Charmasson and J. Buchaca
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Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008930832
ISBN: 978-0-470-33945-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Authors
Henri Charmasson is an attorney with a 35-year career in the field of
intellectual property (IP) law. He has been a naming adviser to major corpo-
rations. Henri is also an inventor with his name on 15 U.S. patents and an
entrepreneur who sits on the board of several small business corporations.
In his early engineering career, Henri designed computer hardware. Henri has
authored several articles and delivered lectures on patent, copyright, trade-
mark and trade secret topics, and written an authoritative treatise about the
art of naming companies and branding new products. Born, raised, and edu-
cated in sunny Provence, France, he’s found in California the ideal place to
exert his enterprising spirit.
John Buchaca, also an Intellectual Property law attorney, is a former soft-
ware engineer and occasional inventor, and has worked with Henri for more
than 15 years. Indeed, when Henri wrote the first edition of this book, John
regarded himself as the “first dummy.” Before becoming a lawyer, he worked
in ocean acoustics analysis and modeling and computer programming. His
undergraduate degree is in applied mathematics. But his highest claim to
fame (according to Henri) is to be married to Henri’s daughter and to be the
father of two of Henri’s grandchildren. He lives in San Diego, California where
he is a partner at Charmasson, Buchaca & Leach, LLP, an IP law firm.
Dedication
To Marcia and Mari
Authors’ Acknowledgments
Thanks to our editorial team and particularly to our project editor,
Corbin Collins, who tactfully coached us into expressing many arcane
legal principles in limpid prose.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
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Cover Photos: © Comstock
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Part I: Corralling Your IP Assets:
Intellectual Property Basics ......................................... 7
Chapter 1: Marshalling Your IP Tools ............................................................................9
Chapter 2: Fencing In the Herd ......................................................................................19
Chapter 3: Calling in the Cavalry and Picking Up the Tab ..........................................29
Chapter 4: Trade Secrets: Often-Overlooked IP Tools ................................................41
Part II: Going for the Gold: Patenting Your Product ...... 49
Chapter 5: Understanding Patents and How They Work ............................................51
Chapter 6: Testing the Patent Water Before You Dive in ...........................................63
Chapter 7: Hoping It Ain’t There: The Patent Search ..................................................75
Chapter 8: Preparing Your Patent Application ............................................................89
Chapter 9: Filing Your Patent Application ..................................................................109
Chapter 10: Wrestling with the Patent Examiner .......................................................123
Chapter 11: Reeling In the Prize: Getting Your Patent Issued ..................................151
Part III: Asserting Your Copyrights ........................... 167
Chapter 12: If It’s Got Style, You’ve Got Copyrights..................................................169
Chapter 13: Untangling Ownership Issues ..................................................................187
Chapter 14: Giving Your Copyright Fangs ..................................................................197
Part IV: Protecting Your Commerical Identity ............ 217
Chapter 15: Flashing Your Badge .................................................................................219
Chapter 16: Coining the Next Household Name.........................................................233
Chapter 17: Searching for Name Availability .............................................................245
Chapter 18: Establishing and Registering Your Commercial Identifier ..................259
Part V: Making Your IP Rights Work for You .............. 283
Chapter 19: All Abroad: Protecting Your IP Rights in Other Countries ..................285
Chapter 20: Making ’Em Pay: Licensing Your IP Rights ............................................303
Chapter 21: Catching Them Rustlers (Infringers) ......................................................317
Part VI: The Part of Tens .......................................... 327
Chapter 22: Ten Most Common IP Misconceptions ..................................................329
Chapter 23: Ten Patent Application Pitfalls ...............................................................333
Chapter 24: Ten Practical Copyright FAQs .................................................................337
Chapter 25: The Ten Worst Naming Blunders ...........................................................341
Appendix: How to Use the CD-ROM ........................... 345
Index ...................................................................... 351
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 1
About This Book ..............................................................................................1
Conventions Used in This Book .....................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................3
How This Book Is Organized ..........................................................................3
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................5
Part I: Corralling Your IP Assets:
Intellectual Property Basics .......................................... 7
Chapter 1: Marshalling Your IP Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Defining Intellectual Property ........................................................................9
Exploring the Patent Process .......................................................................11
Copyrighting Your Creations .......................................................................13
Proclaiming Your Identity: Trademarks and
Other Commercial Handles ......................................................................14
Keeping It Under Your War Bonnet: Trade Secrets ..................................16
Let’s Make a Deal: Looking at Contractual IP Rights .................................16
Putting Your IP to Work at Home and Abroad ...........................................17
Chapter 2: Fencing In the Herd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Questioning Your Motives ............................................................................19
Implementing an IP Program ........................................................................21
Chapter 3: Calling in the Cavalry and Picking Up the Tab . . . . . . . . . .29
Getting the Help You Need ...........................................................................29
Finding and Retaining an IP Professional ...................................................34
Staying within Your Meager Means .............................................................35
Working with Foreign IP Professionals .......................................................39
Coordinating with Other Professionals ......................................................40
Chapter 4: Trade Secrets: Often-Overlooked IP Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Taking a Gander at Your Operation ............................................................41
Patenting or Secreting? .................................................................................44
Safeguarding Your Trade Secrets ................................................................46
xii
Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Part II: Going for the Gold: Patenting Your Product ....... 49
Chapter 5: Understanding Patents and How They Work. . . . . . . . . . . .51
Defining the Nature of the Beast ..................................................................51
Dissecting the Beast: Three Patent Types ..................................................53
Checking Out the Mechanics: Specifications and Claims .........................55
Playing by the Rules: The Three-Part Patentability Test .........................58
Chapter 6: Testing the Patent Water Before You Dive In . . . . . . . . . . .63
Assessing What You Have ............................................................................63
Making Sure that 10-Gallon Hat Is Right for You .......................................67
Starting Things Off on the Right Foot .........................................................72
Chapter 7: Hoping It Ain’t There: The Patent Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
The Preliminary Online Search: What Did We Do
without the Internet? .................................................................................76
Upping the Ante: The Professional Anticipation Search ..........................77
Conducting Your Own “Professional” Anticipation Search .....................79
Looking at Other Patent Searches ...............................................................87
Chapter 8: Preparing Your Patent Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Understanding the Patent Application .......................................................89
Choosing Between Formal and Provisional Applications ........................90
Deconstructing the Patent Application ......................................................92
Disclosing Your Invention in the Specification ..........................................94
Arguing Your Case for Patentability ...........................................................95
Staking Your Claims ......................................................................................96
Chapter 9: Filing Your Patent Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Packaging the Application ..........................................................................109
Sending Your Application to the USPTO ..................................................112
Meeting Your Filing Deadlines ...................................................................113
Keeping Your Application under Wraps ...................................................113
Asking for Special Status: Speeding Up Your Application ......................116
Preparing and Filing Patent Applications .................................................118
Wise Things to Do While You Wait ...........................................................120
Entering a Continuation Application .........................................................120
Chapter 10: Wrestling with the Patent Examiner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Touring the USPTO ......................................................................................124
Clearing Initial Administrative Hurdles ....................................................126
Splitting Up Is Hard to Do: Restricting the Application ..........................128
Getting In on the Office Action ...................................................................130
Reacting to a Final Rejection ......................................................................145
Getting Flagged for Interference ................................................................147
Requesting a SIR ..........................................................................................149
xiii
Table of Contents
Chapter 11: Reeling In the Prize: Getting Your Patent Issued . . . . . .151
Getting the Green Light ...............................................................................152
Put Down the Champagne: Taking Corrective Action ............................153
Dealing with Defective Patents ..................................................................154
Submitting to Reexamination .....................................................................160
Changing the Names of the Inventors or Assignees ................................164
Remembering to Pay Maintenance Fees ...................................................165
Marking Your Widgets with the Patent Number ......................................165
Part III: Asserting Your Copyrights ............................ 167
Chapter 12: If It’s Got Style, You’ve Got Copyrights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Getting to Know the Copyright ..................................................................169
Defining an Original Work of Authorship .................................................170
Determining What Is Copyrighted and What Isn’t ...................................173
The Scope of Copyright Protection ...........................................................175
So What Does a Copyright Do for Me? ......................................................179
Chapter 13: Untangling Ownership Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Making Sure You Own the Copyright ........................................................187
Changing the Owner: Transferring Interest in a Copyright ....................192
Investigating the Status of a Copyright .....................................................194
Chapter 14: Giving Your Copyright Fangs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Making It Official: Registration ...................................................................197
Finding and Filling Out Forms ....................................................................201
Depositing Copies of the Work ..................................................................207
Marking Your Copyrighted Work ..............................................................212
Getting Help from Uncle Sam .....................................................................213
Recording Copyright Documents ..............................................................214
Part IV: Protecting Your Commerical Identity ............. 217
Chapter 15: Flashing Your Badge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
A Commercial Identifier Inventory ............................................................219
Putting Commercial Identifiers to Work ...................................................224
Testing the Legal Strength of Commercial Identifiers ............................228
Chapter 16: Coining the Next Household Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Marketing Power: Components of Good Commercial Identifiers ..........234
Trying the Tricks of the Trade ...................................................................237
Avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins .................................................................241