March 2019
Charles Meyer (partner, Woodard, Emhardt, Henry, Reeves & Wagner LLP) gave us a very interesting and witty review of intellectual property. For more information than this brief summary provides, talk with someone who was there. Take-home message : Intellectual property protects your identity and your market share. The most popular forms of intellectual property are copyrights, patents, and trademarks. A trademark brands your products with your identity. A patent prevents others from benefiting from your invention (a product or process, an ornamental design for a manufactured product, or a plant). A copyright prevents others from copying your particular tangible expression of an idea (not the idea itself). Trademark A trademark (for goods), service mark (for services), or trade dress (trademark for the image and overall appearance of goods) identifies you as the origin of a good or service. It lets consumers know what quality or c...