This Research Guide is intended to provide those researching issues in Intellectual Property Law with a starting point for their studies. Intellectual Property is a broad area in the law, comprising the three distinct but interconnected doctrinal areas of Copyright, Patent, and Trademarks. In addition, this Guide includes resources pertaining to a fourth type of intellectual property: trade secrets.
This Research Guide is organized into five sections, with one section providing resources on the overarching area of intellectual property, and the remaining sections each corresponding to one of the foregoing specific doctrinal areas. Each tab in the navigation bar above will take the researcher to a variety of materials - both print and online - that should assist them in their study of and research into Intellectual Property Law and its component parts.
Intellectual Property is a broad area of law, comprising three primary doctrinal areas and concerned with the legal protection of different types of 'creations of the mind'.
As defined by Black's Law Dictionary (11th Ed. 2019) the term INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY means/refers to:
"1. A category of intangible rights protecting commercially valuable products of the human intellect. • The category comprises primarily trademark, copyright, and patent rights, but also includes trade-secret rights, publicity rights, moral rights, and rights against unfair competition. 2. A commercially valuable product of the human intellect, in a concrete or abstract form, such as a copyrightable work, a protectable trademark, a patentable invention, or a trade secret."
The following study aids provide a general overview of the law of Intellectual Property. They include sections touching on Copyright Law, Patent Law, and Trademark Law.
NOTE: The links below will take the user to the Law Library's online study aids collection. The inclusion of a Call Number indicates that the Law Library also has the particular title in print, although the print resource may be an earlier edition of the title.
Questions and Answers: Intellectual Property
by
The questions and answers in this book cover the broad subject of "intellectual property" in a comprehensive way, targeted to an introductory or survey course. All of the major topics in this fascinating area of law are included--namely, trademark, the right of publicity, trade secret, patent, and copyright--and the coverage has been updated with major changes in the law through mid-2019. The key aspects of each of these areas are systematically addressed using the following organization--subject matter and validity, ownership and duration of rights, infringement and remedies, and defenses and limitations.
Mastering Intellectual Property
by
Mastering Intellectual Property is a practical guide to the intricacies of trade secret, patent, copyright, moral rights, trademark, and related fields of intellectual property law. Less detailed than a multi-volume treatise, and aimed at an interested but novice audience, the book describes and then illustrates each of these separate but related areas of law, comparing and contrasting their distinct features, uses, benefits, and shortcomings. The book features clear statements of the applicable rules and standards and follows each with illustrative examples that demonstrate the application of the abstract law to concrete facts. The book is an indispensable aid and supplement to anyone seeking to master the broad spectrum of intellectual property law.
Understanding Intellectual Property Law
by
There have been a number of important developments in U.S. intellectual property law since the third edition of Understanding Intellectual Property Law was published. Congress enacted the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 to provide a federal civil cause of action for misappropriation of trade secrets for the first time. It also enacted the Music Modernization Act of 2018, which extends the compulsory license for musical works by creating a blanket license for digital music providers and provides federal protection to sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972. And, of course, courts continue to work through the implications of earlier statutory revisions, such as the landmark America Invents Act of 2011. The Supreme Court has remained active in reviewing intellectual property cases during the past four years, deciding eighteen patent cases, four copyright cases, and five trademark cases. In addition, the federal Courts of Appeals decided more than 1000 patent cases, 230 copyright cases, and nearly 300 trademark and false advertising cases during that time. Having been updated to reflect this new material, the fourth edition of Understanding Intellectual Property Law covers all of the intellectual property areas and issues likely to be addressed in an intellectual property survey course.
The titles below are selected hornbooks that provide a general overview of the law of Intellectual Property, including Copyright Law, Patent Law, and Trademark Law. These resources will generally provide more in-depth coverage of these areas than the study guides described in this page.
NOTE: The links below will take the user to the Law Library's online collection. The inclusion of a Call Number indicates that the Law Library also has the particular title in print, although the print resource may be an earlier edition of the title.