Trademarks
A mark that identifies a product.
What is a trademark?
This copyright concept gives the copyright owner the exclusive right to make copies of the protected work.
What is the reproduction right?
This requirement means an invention must be new rather than already known or publicly available.
What is novelty?
A company may protect this type of information when its value comes from the fact that information is not generally known.
What is confidential business information?
This federal law provides special intellectual-property protection for the layouts or designs of semiconductor chips.
What is the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act?
A trademark that consists up a made-up or fanciful word, such as "Kodak".
What is a fanciful mark?
This doctrine may allow someone to use portions of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, teaching, research, or news reporting.
What is fair use?
An invention must contain this quality, meaning it can not be an obvious development to someone knowledgeable in the field.
What is nonobviousness?
A famous secret formula can be protected through this type of intellectual property protection rather than being publicly disclosed in a patent.
What is a trade secret?
A computer-related invention may qualify for this form of protection when it meets the legal requirements for an invention.
What is a patent?
A mark that uses a common word in an unrelated way, such as "Apple" for computers.
What is an arbitrary mark?
This occurs when someone creates an unauthorized work based on or adapted from an existing copyrighted work.
What is a derivative work?
This type of patent generally covers inventions such as machines, processes, and useful improvements.
What is a utility patent?
Using theft, bribery, or another improper method to obtain another company's secret information is called this.
What is misappropriation?
This type of protection allows a software owner to control how others may use or copy the software through contractual restrictions.
What is restrictive licensing?
A mark that suggests something about a product without directly describing it like "Coppertone".
What is a suggestive mark?
This federal law addresses copyright infringement involving digital technology and the internet.
What is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)?
This type of patent protects the ornamental appearance or design of an article rather than its function.
What is a design patent?
A company can help maintain trade-secret protection by requiring employees to sign these agreements promising not to disclose confidential information.
What are nondisclosure agreements (NDAs)?
Computer programs may receive this form of protection when the program qualifies as an invention under patent law.
What is patent protection of computer programs?
When a trademark becomes so commonly used that it loses its trademark significance and becomes a generic term like "aspirin".
What is a genericized mark?
This is the legal protection period during which the owner of copyright generally has exclusive rights to the copyrighted work.
What is the duration of copyright?
What is the U.S Patent and Trademark office (USPTO)?
Losing secrecy, independent discovery, or failure to take reasonable protective measures can result in this.
What is loss of trade-secret protection?
This legal protection applies to the original layout design of a semiconductor chip and gives the creator exclusive rights over that design.
What is mask work?