Customer Reviews

The Complete Guide to Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks: What You Need to Know Explained Simply

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The prospect of having to read a book about Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents is enough to make your heart sink. Fortunately, Matthew L. Cole is a novelist and poet, with a smooth command of the language. He has taken a mind-boggling array of U.S. and international intellectual property law and history and put together an intelligent and readable book.

This book is a good source of information for writers, musicians, inventors, business owners - anyone with a creative property to protect. At 290 pages, it is exhaustively thorough. Each section contains a comprehensive glossary of terms, a history of the law and discussion of what those laws mean in real life.

Then, just when you think your head might explode from all the new information, there's an interesting fact about trademark, copyright or patents, suitable for trotting out at your next dinner party.

If you have intellectual property that you need to protect, this is the book for you.

Good used book to buy to become familier with patents, copyrights and trademarks. Easy to read, understand. If you are going to do patent, copyrights ets., very handy!!! Fast shipping, very good condition.

This book covers everything from A to Z on copyrights, trademarks, and patents. It is very detailed with clear definitions and explanations on how and why you need to copyright/protect your art, whether it's writing, music, dance, or any artistic expression. There is a fascinating history of how copyright laws came into existence and why they are needed.

Matthew L. Cole has written a very handy guide. This book is an excellent resource for writers, artists, business people, and inventors. It provides clear guidelines on how to secure copyrights, trademarks, and patents. It details the nuts and bolts of why you need to protect your intellectual property and how to go about doing it.

Every inventor in America needs to read the sections on Patents. There is a clear plan, step-by-step detailing why a patent is needed, the way to secure a patent, what to watch out for, and how to make the process as easy as possible. Examples of finished forms clearly demonstrate how to complete them properly. Cole couldn't have made it any easier to file patent paperwork!

The Complete Guide to Copyrights, Trademarks, and Patents should be on everyone's resource bookshelf

If you have published an idea in print, are the creator of a unique machine, shape or sound, or, as a savvy business owner, you have identified a need to differentiate a particular product from the larger market, then author and novelist, Matthew L. Cole is sure that you have questions about protecting it; or, at least, strongly suggests that you should. Cole's "Complete Guide to Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks" creatively pulls apart the characteristics of these three title concepts, provides a date-specific historical timeline of their conception and current application, plus, helps readers set up a succinct personal plan for properly using intellectual property laws to their full extent and to the advantage of you: the applicant.

This book not only serves as a great tutorial, but makes what could be a monstrous, or just plain boring read, extremely simple and engaging. Copyright office contact information and instructions on how to fill out an application form are built into Cole's exploration of the ways in which each law covers text, music, logos and internet data. He doesn't just talk about individual copyright ownership, either, but also collaborations and transfers of rights, plus, fair use by others in both the public arena and academic environment. In the center section of this book, you will find definitions of terms such as "types of marks" as you transition into the topic of Trademarks. In this section, Cole goes into detail about domain names and touches on international systems. He also provides guidance on how to perform a search to avoid trademark conflicts and links to sites where you can research your own state laws. Lastly, patents take up the least number of pages, but this book continues on an informative track. Cole's discussion includes a five page Case Study on Internet music technology and further interests you with specifics about "products of nature" versus man-made discoveries. Utility, Plant and Design Patent Application Transmittal forms and an appendix of an actual U.S. filing for a drumhead tensioning device and method round out this attractive read.

There is no way you will shelf this book forever. In addition to being a good reference, each chapter is divided by photographs, and fun trivia facts that relate to what the reader just learned. Cole doesn't let you escape any section before alerting you to paying attention to things such as the duration of protection and infringement. Free-of-charge electronic databases are offered for further reading, if you're interested. A good way to get interested is by reading this book. Cole successfully tells you what can be protected, but also, discusses what can not be, giving readers a generous perspective on, and un-complicating an entire process. I give "The Complete Guide to Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks" a 4 out of 5 star rating.

Matthew L. Cole's book focuses on the protection of intellectual property, and goes into detail explaining patents, copyrights, and trademarks. It is a valuable tome for today's small businessperson, inventor, and/or entrepreneur. Many people do not take the time to research the procedures regarding patents, copyrights, and trademarks, and Cole puts all of the necessary facts about protecting one's intellectual property through these methods at the reader's fingertips.

Copyrights are explained first, as Cole breaks down the meaning of copyrighting and what guarantees it does and does not provide to the creator of an original work of authorship. He describes who qualifies as an author and/or owner of the copyright, what rights this gives the author/owner, and how long copyrights last. Cole also lists works that cannot be copyrighted, such as titles, names, slogans, and procedures. Copyright infringement is also explained, what qualifies as infringement and what recourse the copyright holder has against infringement.

Cole turns to trademarks next, describing what kind of products they can protect. He tells readers how to conduct a trademark search and how to use the online trademark database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Domain names and their trademarking are discussed also, as originality in domain names is becoming increasingly more important. In describing the trademark process, Cole tells readers, "Trademarking your product names, business name, logos, slogans, and domain names is one of the most significant business decisions you will make." He also notes what cannot be trademarked (descriptive words, generic marks, etc.) and how to fight trademark infringement.

Finally, Cole discusses patents and how they can protect inventions. He breaks down the types of patents (biological, business method, chemical, software, mathematical algorithms, plant, design, and genetic patents) and notes what characteristics an item must have to be patentable (novelty, non-obvious, and have a useful purpose). He explains patent ownership, and how to search for a patent, then file a patent application. Utility model patents are also described, as is patent infringement and the patent owner's rights in that case.

Cole has done an exceptional job in researching and compiling information on laws, sample forms, and repercussions surrounding the protection of intellectual property. This book is a fascinating entry into the world of copyrights, trademarks, and patents, and especially important reading for authors, artists, inventors, and businesspeople who are affected by intellectual property laws.

Learn how to turn an invention into a money-making reality through a guide teaching everything about how to apply for a patent, copyright, or trademark - and how to protect it. From initial application to filing an infringement case, this book offers plenty of examples and easy step-by-step directions suitable for any newcomer to the process. General-interest libraries catering to consumers as well as business collections will find it a fine acquisition.