There are four primary means of protecting intellectual property (the exclusive rights to a product, process,
service, or logo). These are patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. Some decide to aggressively
protect their rights and ownership regarding innovations while others openly share them via shareware, opensource, and downloads. In a digital age where software can be reverse-engineered, trademarks and websites
can be crafted so close as to be misleading (ex. uspto.com vs uspto.org vs uspto.gov) and where patents and
copyrighted materials can be duplicated and sold in other countries without notice to the creator/inventor, it
becomes important to develop strategies for protecting one's investments in innovation.
Discuss what experience you (and your organization) have in protecting innovation (patent applications,
copyrights, filing for trademark status, protecting a trade secret, etc.). Are you in favor of open-source, public
domain rights, etc.? How do you protect your innovations in a global environment? Have you ever had to sue
someone for IP infringement?
Sample Solution