Patents, Registered Designs, Trade Marks and Copyright For Dummies

John Grant is a UK and European Patent and Trade Mark Attorney with over 35 years experience of intellectual property rights. Charlie Ashworth is an Intellectual Property Manager and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys. Henri Charmasson is a US Patent Attorney specialising in Intellectual Property.

• Forewords xixIntroduction 1Part I: Covering Your Assets: Intellectual Property Basics 7Chapter 1: Examining the Tools in Your IP Box 9Chapter 2: Protecting Your Intellectual Property 19Chapter 3: Dealing with Professionals and Picking Up the Tab 31Part II: Patenting Your Product 41Chapter 4: Understanding Patents and How They Work 43Chapter 5: Testing the Water Before You Apply for a Patent 53Chapter 6: Conducting a Patent Search 61Chapter 7: Preparing Your Patent Application 73Chapter 8: Filing Your Patent Application 99Chapter 9: Prosecuting Your Patent Application 113Chapter 10: Entering the Home Stretch: Getting Your Patent Granted 131Part III: Knowing Your Copyright 139Chapter 11: Protecting Your Designs 141Chapter 12: Entering the Whimsical World of Copyright 153Chapter 13: Untangling Ownership Issues 169Part IV: Making Your Mark: Protecting Your Brand Identity 177Chapter 14: Solving Your Identity Crisis 179Chapter 15: Creating the Next Household Name 193Chapter 16: Conducting an Availability Search 205Chapter 17: Establishing and Registering Your Trade Marks 219Part V: Exploiting and Enforcing Your IP Rights 233Chapter 18: All Abroad: Protecting Your IP Rights in Other Countries 235Chapter 19: Making ’em Pay: Licensing Your IP Rights 251Chapter 20: Nailing the Bad Guys (The Infringers) 265Part VI: The Part of Tens 275Chapter 21: Ten Patent Application Pitfalls 277Chapter 22: Ten Common Copyright Questions 281Chapter 23: Ten Naming Blunders to Avoid 285Chapter 24: Ten Great IP Resources 289Appendix: Sample Patent Applications 293Index 307