Customer Reviews

Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks For Dummies

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm in legal with an IP background and this book is a great IP primer - I was pleasantly surprised by the depth. 'Dummies' is a misnomer as it provides entry-level to intermediate coverage.

When you think of a product you may be under the impression that I need to patent my invention, but don't have to do anything else. Nothing can be further from the truth. Henri Charmasson spells out clearly in this well written, humorous book how one must wisely go out and protect their intellectual property. He cleverly steers you through the unfriendly and confusing halls of the USPTO - the Patent and Trademark office, and guides you to seeking out the advice of an IP professional, (namely a patent attorney). It is a must read for new business owners, and many established businesses can use the help as well. But after going through the book, you will learn one thing - "Do not to go about patenting and Trademarking by yourself. Get a professional to help you."

I applied for a US Federal Trademark on July 13th and besides putting the (c) on my name and art work... I never thought much about sending in anything to the Copyright office in D.C. End of August a check company contacted me to license my artwork for their checks and address labels... this I knew was big but I needed extra help. A friend suggested this book, I ordered it immediately and wow... it is so super easy to comprehend. I absolutely now swear by this book I've nicknamed the "Artist's Bible." I have found all the tips, etc about copyrighting my art AND about trademark issues extremely valuable. I have actually ear marked several pages so I can go back to that as a reference quickly. And it's also important to have an attorney to fall back on which I do. But yes I highly recommend this book for any artist serious enough to get their work copyrighted or even getting their company name trademarked like me.

Not very useful if you are looking for DIY patent info, but goes into great depth on why you MUST hire a lawyer or all is lost.

When I received this book I was blown away by how much useful information it contained. It was easy to read and understand, has quick references that pertain to your subject or you can skip to something more applicable, and was filled with up-to-date information on how to obtain a patent. A great resource!

Let me sum up this book for you - hire an attorney. There, I saved you $20. If you really want to tackle writing your own patent, check out Nolo's books. They're very good.

I bought this book to learn how to draft a patent. Some parts are not writen for a layman and don't do a good job of explaining. And several times he says, "Don't try this yourself, you will need a patent agent."

So then why even have the book?

Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks for Dummies is an easy-to-read primer on intellectual property law. It is written by attorneys but it is intended for a general audience. The goal of the authors is to advise a reader who has an invention or creation that he wants to protect from unauthorized copying. The book describes the three main branches of intellectual property protection: patents, copyrights and trademarks. It explains the uses and advantages of each form of protection and may assist a reader in choosing the appropriate form of protection for his creation. However, the utility of the books ends there. This is not a how-to or do-it-yourself guide that would assist the reader in filing his own patent. Instead, the authors insist that the reader hire an IP professional (attorney) to do most of the work. Almost every other paragraph admonishes the reader not to try to do anything on his own. The book does not provide enough detailed information about the procedures to enable the reader to do anything, himself. So, if you are looking for a book that will help you to file for IP protection, without the expense of a lawyer, look elsewhere. However, if you are seeking an overview of IP law and process, then this may be a good book for you. It will help you to understand the process so that you can work more efficiently with your lawyer.

If you are in business for yourself, this is one book you definitely want to get. Knowing what you can and can't do in terms of protecting your identity, or not infringing on someone elses, goes a long way to prevent you from investing a lot of time building a reputation around a name, only to have to change it midstream. Beyond that, developing a name you can trademark is one of the ways you can create a "monopoly" in a certain area. Sure others can compete in the same type of business, buy hey, the alphabet and dictionary are limited; there are only so many options available to perfectly describe what it is that you are trying to do. Sometimes there is just one best word that describes it. Why not search for one of those best words when you are dreaming up your next venture. You also want to know how to search to determine if anyone else is already using it in one of the other states. This book shows you how to do that search.
I do not have any products that need patenting, but the copyright and trademark sections were well written, and worth 20 times the price of the book. Highly recommended.

I am developing a small item and I want to patent it. This book "PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS & TRADEMARKS FOR DUMMIES" helped me to understand the "complexity" of obtaining a patent right or a copyright for even a small item. The book is very informational and helpful and I do recommend it to anybody.
On a funny note, the complexity and the financial burden of obtaining a patent it almost make me to "give up" on my invention!!!