The Patent Process

CRAIG HOVEY, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Economics at St. John Fisher College. He is also a CPA and is currently researching entrepreneurism and intellectual property for another book. He lives in Rochester, New York.

Preface. Acknowledgments. Chapter 1: The Face Behind the Mask. The Patent Explosion. Overview of Intellectual Property. Intangible Assets: Valuing What Cannot Be Seen. From a Gleam in the Eye to a Product on the Shelf. Chapter 2: Innovations and Entrepreneurs. Innovation: The Practice of Improvement. Entrepreneurs Are Us. Chapter 3: History of Intellectual Property. Patents. Copyrights. Trademarks. Chapter 4: The Power to Patent. To Protect What Is Yours. Patent Power: Help or Hindrance? Case Study: Bluetie's Secure Send. The Law of the Land. Clearing the Hurdles. Chapter 5: Prior to the Patent. Blinded by Love? The Toe-in-the-Water Search. Previewing the Coming Attraction. The Need for Counsel. The Search for Prior Art. Keeping a Lid on It: The Stealth Phase. Case Study: Bluetie: Putting It All Together. Chapter 6: Applying for a Patent. Who Can Stake a Claim? Different Kinds of Patents. Parts to a Patent. Elements of a Patent Application. Application Instructions. Provisional Patents. The Examination Process. What If the Patent Is Rejected? Chapter 7: Protecting Your Patent at Home and Abroad. The Nature of Patents. Foreign Patents. Patent Infringement. Defensive Publishing. Chapter 8: The King of Patents. An Addled Student. Into the Working World. The First Invention Factory. A Wizard at Work. Chapter 9: The Financing, Licensing, and Sale of Patents. Raising Money. Patent Licensing. Case Study Mark Palazzo, President of Pittsford Capital Group. Selling a Patent. Chapter 10: Copyrighting Your Creations. The Freedom of Protection. What Is a Copyright? Copyright Criteria. Copyright Registration. Protecting Your Copyright. Fair Use. Infringement. International Copyrights. Earning Royalties and the Sale of Copyrights. Copyrights and the Web. Case Study: Words to Eat By: The Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Case Study: What's in a Name? Paychex in Print. Case Study: Staking Out New Territory: Bonadio & Co. Chapter 11: The Trademark Story. Branding Your Property. What Is a Trademark? The Birth of a Trademark. Registering a Trademark. Using a Trademark. Trademarks on the Web. Case Study: Paychex: From Small Label to Major Brand. Case Study: People's Pottery: Made in America. Chapter 12: Deep in the Vault: The Value of Trade Secrets. The Colonel's Notebook. Trade Secrets vs. Patents. What Is a Trade Secret? Obtaining Trade Secret Status. Maintaining a Trade Secret. Case Study: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: The Secret's in the Sauce. Case Study: Bluetie: The Secret of Speed. Chapter 13: Common Questions about The Patent Process. Index.