Essentials of Intellectual Property (Essentials Series) (Paperback)

~ Alexander I. Poltorak (Author), Paul J. Lerner (Author) "A patent conveys to its owner the right prevent others from making, using, selling, offering for sale (this last is a recent addition), or importing..." (more)
Key Phrases: Patent Office, United States, Board of Appeals (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is the liveliest, best-written and most thorough introduction to the fundamentals of this subject. Yet it goes beyond the framework of basic IP protection to discuss emerging concepts as well as inside information immediately useful in the real world. In short, it forms the next rung in the advancement of IP management up the ladder from an art to a science.
( Samson Vermont, founder of the periodical Patent Strategy Patent Attorney)

Poltorak and Lerner deliver a remarkable new book, just in time, for the layperson who wants to study the modern intellectual property landscape. In a style that prompts, guides, and mentors the reader, the book should prove invaluable to those who need to acquire enough of an understanding of the material to keep out of trouble. Easy to read and free of jargon and difficult legal language, the book is one I will recommend to those who want a straightforward introduction to an increasingly important legal specialty.
( Alexis N. Sommers, Ph.D., Professor of Industrial Engineering University of New Haven Director, Education and Training Connecticut Association of Purchasing Managers)

As intellectual property becomes a more important aspect of the world's economy, this book is a must-read. Dr. Poltorak's and Mr. Lerner's experience, knowledge and wit help both new and experienced licensing practitioners understand and appreciate the simple and complex issues in the field of intellectual property licensing.
( Arthur M. Nutter, President, TAEUS)

Essentials of Intellectual Property should be required reading for any manager interested in developing an IP strategy. Alex Poltorak and Paul Lerner have distilled their years of experience into an easy to understand text that may prove to be a "go to" book for many busy executives.
( Paul E. Paray, Managing Member, Licenz Group, LLC and former CEO AnIdea Corporation.)

This critically important new volume of work not only provides the professional with a greater knowledge of this vast subject, but also the novice with a better understanding and appreciation for the results of their creative abilities.
( Lawrence J. Udell, Executive Director California Invention Center Professor of New Ventures and Entrepreneurship)

The recent interest in Intellectual Property as a company asset comes as no surprise to inventors. For years we have known that every invention, whether physical or intellectual, starts with a unique idea. This book represents the insight and experience of the two critical elements of modern IP issues - the process of securing an IP patent and the structure for protecting it. In the global information technospace of today's business, nothing is more important than understanding and controlling access to proprietary ideas. Knowing just what steps to take will help us all, inventors and users. As a holder of patents, I feel relieved to know that there is now a map for navigating the labyrinth in this area.
( Arthur "Skip" Moen, Ph.D.)

Essentials of Intellectual Property is an essential read for anyone managing an enterprise that invests resources in innovation. This book provides, with the clarity of plain English, valuable guidance for both protecting the intellectual property created by a firm's creative efforts, and deriving revenue and value from them as well. After being read, it should be kept close as a handy desk reference.
( Norman Zafman, Founding partner of Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman)

Review

This book is the liveliest, best-written and most thorough introduction to the fundamentals of this subject. Yet it goes beyond the framework of basic IP protection to discuss emerging concepts as well as inside information immediately useful in the real world. In short, it forms the next rung in the advancement of IP management up the ladder from an art to a science.
( Samson Vermont, founder of the periodical Patent Strategy & Management; Patent Attorney)

Poltorak and Lerner deliver a remarkable new book, just in time, for the layperson who wants to study the modern intellectual property landscape. In a style that prompts, guides, and mentors the reader, the book should prove invaluable to those who need to acquire enough of an understanding of the material to keep out of trouble. Easy to read and free of jargon and difficult legal language, the book is one I will recommend to those who want a straightforward introduction to an increasingly important legal specialty.
( Alexis N. Sommers, Ph.D., Professor of Industrial Engineering University of New Haven Director, Education and Training Connecticut Association of Purchasing Managers)

As intellectual property becomes a more important aspect of the world's economy, this book is a must-read. Dr. Poltorak's and Mr. Lerners experience, knowledge and wit help both new and experienced licensing practitioners understand and appreciate the simple and complex issues in the field of intellectual property licensing.
( Arthur M. Nutter, President, TAEUS)

Essentials of Intellectual Property should be required reading for any manager interested in developing an IP strategy. Alex Poltorak and Paul Lerner have distilled their years of experience into an easy to understand text that may prove to be a go to book for many busy executives.
( Paul E. Paray, Managing Member, Licenz Group, LLC and former CEO AnIdea Corporation.)

This critically important new volume of work not only provides the professional with a greater knowledge of this vast subject, but also the novice with a better understanding and appreciation for the results of their creative abilities.
( Lawrence J. Udell, Executive Director California Invention Center Professor of New Ventures and Entrepreneurship)

The recent interest in Intellectual Property as a company asset comes as no surprise to inventors. For years we have known that every invention, whether physical or intellectual, starts with a unique idea. This book represents the insight and experience of the two critical elements of modern IP issues - the process of securing an IP patent and the structure for protecting it. In the global information technospace of today's business, nothing is more important than understanding and controlling access to proprietary ideas. Knowing just what steps to take will help us all, inventors and users. As a holder of patents, I feel relieved to know that there is now a map for navigating the labyrinth in this area.
( Arthur Skip Moen, Ph.D.)

Essentials of Intellectual Property is an essential read for anyone managing an enterprise that invests resources in innovation. This book provides, with the clarity of plain English, valuable guidance for both protecting the intellectual property created by a firms creative efforts, and deriving revenue and value from them as well. After being read, it should be kept close as a handy desk reference.
( Norman Zafman, Founding partner of Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471209422
• ISBN-13: 978-0471209423
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #407,281 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Essentials Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Primer for the layman and seasoned professional!, November 12, 2003

By	"benny4321" (Hudson, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This is an excellent book that I believe can help level the playing field for smaller companies vis-a-vis their larger competitors concerning exploiting the full value of
their intellectual property rights. The authors include a chapter addressed to corporate officers and directors concerning potential liability for mismanaging intellectual property. This chapter alone is an eye-opener that ought to be read by every director and officer not only to avoid liability but to enhance share value. The authors have given the reader a seminal work concerning the difficult nature of patent valuation including a method that uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing algorithm (since a patent's value, like an option, decreases with the passage of time, all other things being equal). The authors discuss the methods utilized to value a patent in a publicly traded company and point out that Eli Lilly lost $35 billion in market capitalization when one of its two Prozac patents was declared invalid for double-patenting, thus, demonstrating the enormous value of that patent. I am a patent attorney who learned much from this book. This is a highly readable and even entertaining book that makes an excellent primer for anyone interested in the business of intellectual property.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but Flawed , June 5, 2006

By	Samuel C. Adams (Munich, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The strength of this book is that it provides a comprehensible introduction to intellectual property - focusing on patents. If you want to learn something about intellectual property without wading too deep into lawyerspeak - this book may interest you. In addition to patents - trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets are discussed; other aspects of intellectual property are waved at. The last chapter provides dated coverage of intellectual property as it relates to the Internet - mostly focusing on business method patents. This is interesting from a business perspective but the authors do not seem versed in the technical aspects of E-Commerce. Laches and estoppel are demystified and the book presents what looks like solid advice on how to enforce your rights against a group of infringers (attack the weakest one first). There are clearly divided sections (making the frequent pauses that I occasionally made between readings convenient), key ideas are highlighted in an attractive manner and charts and graphs are well presented.

I'm not sure there is enough in depth information in this book to make it really useful. Just before the authors really dig into a subject they roll out their well-oiled marketing spiel - "consult a lawyer/professional on this issue". Patent law is even compared to brain surgery at one point. While consulting with a lawyer on serious patent litigation is probably good advice - it would have been nice if the authors had gone into more depth on the advice a lawyer might give. Throughout the book, patent law is treated as an impenetrable black box - the reader can get a look at the outside and hear a little about what goes on inside but opening the box entirely is expressly forbidden. I was repeatedly given the impressiion that the main purpose of this book was to serve to market the services of intellectual property attorneys and consultants to corporate executives.

Another flaw in the book is that the index is weak - which, along with the sparse table of contents and vague referrals to previous chapters - makes the book a poor reference. Another irritating blemish is that while the book presents a number of statistics, it includes no information on where they came from. Some sort of footnote referring to sources would have been nice.

Additional note (15 Jul): If you are at all interested in studying or learning about patents I highly recommend Patent it Yourself by David Pressman. I've only read the first few chapters but it's already clear that Patent it Yourself is ever so much more comprehensive, useful and practical than Essentials of Intellectual Property.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear and enjoyable reading!, October 4, 2002

By	marvin (Havertown, PA United States) - See all my reviews

As a quick primer, I found this book to be terrific. And the dry humour was appreciated as well. Never thought I'd make it through so quickly, and yet come away with such a good appreciation of the subject matter.