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 The concept of intellectual property exists to promote innovation and to protect the rights to new ideas and inventions. Here at Stevens Institute of Technology, all students are encouraged to make technological advances in a competitive job market. To further assist the student body, faculty and promote innovative growth in Stevens' Technogenesis environment, this chapter will give a summary of what comprises intellectual property.
Stevens' Professor Charles Mac Cord of Mechanical Drawing and Designing was Chief Draughtsman for Captain John Ericsson of the U.S. iron-clad steamer the "Monitor" which defeated the confederate steamer the "Merrimac" in 1862. A patent is a federal grant given to an inventor, which gives that inventor the right to an invention or idea. U.S. federal law protects an inventor's idea or product from being used, leased, sold, or distributed by other outside parties. Patents do not necessarily provide authorization for the inventor to produce or sell their invention in an open market. Previous patents of other inventors must not exclude the right for the inventor to produce and sell the invention in question. Violating patent rights (patent infringement) is a serious offense that can lead to disciplinary action in a U.S. court of law. Patents will be covered in detail in upcoming chapters. For more resources on patents, you may use references from the following informational websites: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Delphion Intellectual Property Network, and the European Patent Office (EPO). A trademark is any word, logo, slogan, symbol, or design that provides clear distinction of a product or service. Trademark symbols ™ and ® are commonly used among brand name products to give inventions corporate identity and to promote sales competition. Trademarks do not necessarily need to be federally registered, but federal registration does provide significant legal protection. Additional detailed information is provided by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and BitLaw "Trademarks on the Internet".
A copyright (©) protects original, published or unpublished, works of literature, theatre, music, art, photographs, computer programs, etc. from being plagiarized or reproduced. Copyrights protect the expression of ideas, whereas patents protect the ideas themselves. Copyrights give the author the right to reproduce their own copyrighted material. Detailed information on copyrights can be found at the U.S. Copyright Office, the Franklin Pierce Law Center "Copyright on the Internet", and BitLaw "Copyright Law in the United States" websites. Trade secrets are efficient methods of manufacturing, designing, business, and technical intelligence that give successful companies the edge over others. Fast product assembly, quality of products and effective marketing strategies are examples of what successful corporate entities are aiming for when considering hiring new employees. There are no federal laws to protect the rights of trade secrets. However, the legal definition of trade secrets varies in different states. In most cases, where a trade secret is stolen (i.e. notes are stolen by breaking and entering, or secrets are physically taken and either sold or used for profit), the courts will more likely find the inventor's arguments more favorable and the inventor may have some protection against trade secret theft. If another inventor uses the same methods for success as another inventor by sheer coincidence, the law cannot protect one or the other's rights to the inventors. In cases dealing with trade secrets or any other intellectual property, it is a must to keep all invention records in an organized inventor's notebook. More on trade secrets can be researched at Idea Rights.
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Conferences, Seminars, Information Sessions and more... Intellectual Property & Patent policies and forms for the Stevens community
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