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Achtel Law Firm is devoted to your intellectual property
needs. Please review this page for a brief overview of intellectual
property
law or click on the above patent and trademark links to
learn more about these types of protection. We are
more than happy to provide you with a free intellectual
property law consultation,
please contact us online, or call us at toll free 800-361-1961
or 858-350-3124 (San Diego).
Overview of intellectual property law
There are four main areas of intellectual property law: patent,
trademark, copyright, and trade secret. This page provides
an overview of each, and links to more information about the
different areas of law.
- Patents-
Generally, patents protect inventions
- Trademarks-
A trademark protects names and logos
- Copyright-
Protects expression, which must be in a "fixed medium"
- Trade secret-
Used to protect confidential or secret business information
Patents
A patent protects an invention. An invention is any new,
non-obvious, and useful human created object or method of
performing a process. Examples of patentable inventions
include: a mousetrap, a genetically modified mouse, or
a new method of creating transgenic mice.
Our job as patent attorneys is to
work with you to draft
a patent that gives you the widest protection possible- to
prevent others from making similar products or practicing
similar methods. A patent is valid for 20 years from the
filing date of a
patent application.
To learn more about patents, please visit our patent
information section. For a free patent consultation, please
contact us online, or call us at toll free 800-361-1961 or
858-350-3124 (San Diego).
Trademarks
A trademark commonly protects a name, logo, or slogan that
is used in association with goods (products) or services.
A
trademark
is used to
identify the source of the goods or services. Examples of
famous trademarks for the company Nike, include: the word
"Nike", the Swoosh logo, and the phrase "Just
Do It".
You can obtain trademark rights by placing the ™ symbol
by your mark, by filing a state trademark application, or
by filing an application with the U.S. government. We recommend
consulting with an attorney before proceeding with securing
trademark rights. We can help you avoid potential problems
with your mark, and help you obtain the widest scope of
trademark
protection possible. Registered trademarks can be renewed,
and it is possible for a trademark to last forever.
To learn more about trademarks, please visit our trademark
information section. For a free trademark consultation,
please contact us online, or call us at toll free 800-361-1961
or 858-350-3124 (San Diego).
Copyright
A copyright protects a fixed expression in a tangible medium.
It protects "original works of authorship," which
include literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain
other intellectual works, including software and web sites.
Copyright protection is available to both published and
unpublished
works. The length of copyright protection depends upon who
created the work, and when the work was published. Federal
copyright protection lasts for 70 years after death of the
author. If the work was created through a company, the
copyright
term is for 95 years from publication, or 120 years from
creation (whichever is shorter).
For a free copyright consultation, please contact us online,
or call us at toll free 800-361-1961 or 350-3124 (San
Diego).
Trade Secret
A trade secret is business information that is the subject
of reasonable efforts to preserve confidentiality and has
value because it is not generally known in the trade. Such
confidential information is protected against those who gain
access to it through improper methods or by a breach of confidence.
An example of a trade secret is the formula for Coca Cola.
Steps must be taken to ensure that the trade secret is protected,
and it is possible that a trade secret can last forever.
For a free trade secret consultation, please contact us online,
or call us at toll free 800-361-1961 or 858-350-3124 (San
Diego).
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