Colleagues,
Two additional forms of protection:
1. Along with copyright statements on every piece of paper, remember the
trademarks. Put the "TM" on any name considered proprietary to the issue.
Anyone can put TM on their names. Indeed, the TM must have been used in
interstate commerce for at least a year in order to qualify for a formal
trademark. We can now trademark processes as well as names. So something
that seems generic can be trademarked.
To get first priority with the US Patent and Trademark Office, you need to
establish a track record of using the TM symbol. So develop a letterhead
stationery and send letters to people. Create business cards and send them
out. Create a website and use the TM on every page. Find ways to spread
evidence of your claim to your business and product names.
To confirm availability of a trademark, visit
www.uspto.gov and go to the
trademark section. You may find a dozen or more trademarks using the name
you've chosen, but don't let that discourage you. Unless one of them is in
your line of business, separate trademarks are allowed. If your search does
identify a direct competitor, you may have found a reason to question your
choice of business.
2. Website name: Ability to commercialize may hinge on a website with just
the right name. Reserving a range of names may prevent others from
commercializing your ideas. That is, reserve .com, .net, .biz, and others.
Consider reserving both "TheName.com" and "name.com". Think up all the
variations and reserve all the possibilities. Reserving names is not very
expensive. It may cost a few hundred dollars, but you'll save hassles later
on.
Best to all,
Gary
--
Change agent skills
are as important to individual success
as are professional discipline skills.
Gary Lundquist
303-840-9929
GaryL@Market-Engineering.com
President - Market Engineering International
www.Market-Engineering.com
Editor - The Colorado Innovation Newsletter
www.ColoradoInnovation.blogs.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion
[mailto:
MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Bennett-Woods, Debra
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 7:18 PM
To:
MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Re: Copyright guidance request
Susie,
We are sorting through a number of questions regarding intellectual property
and copyright here on campus at this time because of similar questions I
have raised. My advice, at minimum, is to make sure every scrap of paper
she shares has the copyright symbol, her name and a copyright date on it
somewhere and that she insist up front on formal permissions for any use of
her material. It would be helpful if she had clear documentation crediting
her with development. If the tools are valuable, she should consider
publishing them herself in a journal article or conference proceedings to
further protect them. At the same time, if any of her tools are likewise
derived, she needs to be sure she has also given credit before sharing them.
WARNING - If she has developed these tools as a specific expectation of her
position/salary agreement with her employer, she may need to copyright them
to the employer. Your description does not specify whether this is an
academic setting per say or a corporate setting.
Deb
________________________________
From: Management Education and Development Discussion on behalf of H. Susie
Coddington
Sent: Tue 7/11/2006 1:27 PM
To:
MG-ED-DV@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
Subject: Copyright guidance request
Greetings,
A former student sent the following request, from one of her colleagues, on
to me. I didn't have an answer but suggested posting the request here. I
hope someone can provide some insights for me to pass along. Thanks for your
assistance, Susie
A colleague has developed some interesting tools and concepts related to
training, which have caught the interest of a well-known author. They
(colleague and author) are making plans to discuss the material. Although my
colleague is excited to present the material and explore possibilities,
there is a hint of concern that the concepts/ideas could be taken or misused
without due credit. My colleague would like to be both prepared and
protected to present the work freely without concern of future misuse. Any
sound suggestions on how to approach this matter will be greatly
appreciated. How exactly does one approach copyrighting, intellectual
property, and/or simply protecting one's own interest? Clear direction is
needed for someone without such experience. Thank you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
H. Susie Coddington, Ph.D. Coddington Learning Co. ~ A certified MBE/DBE
Columbia, MD 21045-1903 410-992-9563 or 443-812-2441 (cell) learning never
ends...