From Booklist
How-to books on such processes as starting a business, preparing a will, or obtaining a patent can often be more simplistic than simplified. Here, though, Muir clearly lays out the steps for protecting an idea and bringing it to market. He also explains how the individual inventor fits into the entire technology transfer system, which he defines as "the individuals, institutions, practices, laws, and policies involved in the marketing, licensing and patenting of inventions." The result is a book that will benefit not only independent inventors but also research scientists and engineers and those responsible for administering research programs. Muir, who manages technology transfer for the Research Foundation of State University of New York, outlines the history of intellectual property rights and technology transfer, and he identifies the basic elements of patent, trade secret, and antitrust law. He defines characteristics of the market for inventions and tells how to locate industrial sponsors, determine an invention's value, develop a license agreement, and apply for a patent. Muir also discusses how to manage institutionally owned invention portfolios. David Rouse
