1 Introduction -- 2 Basic Distinctions Between Patents, Copyrights, Trade Secrets, and Trademarks -- Constitutional Basis and Underlying Philosophy for Patents and Copyrights -- Patents -- Design Patents -- Plant Patents -- Plant Variety Protection Act -- Copyrights -- Trade Secrets -- Trademarks and Service Marks -- 3 Jurisdiction for Administering and Enforcing Laws Concerning Intellectual Property -- The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Appeals Therefrom -- United States District Courts and Appeals Therefrom -- US Claims Court and Appeals Therefrom -- International Trade Commission (ITC) and Appeals Therefrom -- Copyright Office -- State Courts -- Laws Related to Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights -- Resolution of Disputes by Nonlitigation Methods -- 4 Patentability and Inventorship -- Patentability -- What Can Be Patented -- Utility -- Double Patenting -- Novelty and 35 USC § 102 -- Nonobviousness Requirement for Patentability USC § 103 -- Case Law Application of 35 USC § 103 -- Inventorship -- 5 The Patent Application -- Abstract of the Disclosure -- Description Portion of the Specification -- Written Description of the Invention -- Enablement -- Best Mode -- Drawings -- Models -- Claims -- Preamble of the Claim -- Transitional Phrase of the Claim -- Body of the Claim -- Types of Claims -- Doctrine of Equivalents -- Oath or Declaration -- Statutory Invention Registration (SIR) -- 6 Prosecution of Patent Application -- Requirements for Obtaining a Filing Date -- Classification of Application for Examination Purposes -- Initial Substantive Review of Application by Examiner -- Response by Applicant -- Examination of Claims on Their Merits -- Response to Office Action -- Final Rejection of Claims and Response -- Appeal to Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences -- Interferences -- Review by Quality Control -- Notice of Allowance -- Certificates of Correction -- Reissues -- Reexamination -- Intervening Rights -- Protests -- Patent marking -- Types of Related Patent Applications -- 7 Reexamination -- Citation of Prior Art -- Request for Reexamination -- Substantial New Question of Patentability -- The Order to Reexamine -- Reexamination Proceeding -- Some Factors of Concern When Deciding to Reexamine or Whether to Take Some Other Action -- License Agreements and Reexamination -- 8 International Patent Treaties -- Paris Convention of 1883 -- Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) -- European Patents and the European Patent Convention (EPC) -- Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) -- African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) -- Inventor's Certificate -- 9 Trade Secrets and Commercial Considerations -- Trade Secrets -- Maintaining Secrecy -- Protection Afforded by Trade Secrets -- Patent or Keep Secret -- Commercial Considerations -- Restrictions on Exploitation of Patents -- Record Keeping -- Invention Disclosures -- Ownership of Invention -- Invention Incentive Programs -- 10 Searching -- Search Facilities at the United States Patent and Trademark Office -- Searching Organizations -- Reasons for Searching -- 11 Government Patent Policy -- General Considerations -- Small Business and Nonprofit Organizations -- March-In Rights -- Federal Technology Transfer Act -- 12 Trademarks and Service Marks -- Federal Trademark Registrations -- Categories of Terms and Secondary Meaning -- Benefits From Federal Registration -- Likelihood of Confusion -- Trade Names -- Trade Dress -- Searching -- 13 Copyrights and Semiconductor Chip Protection -- Copyrights -- Protection for Semiconductor Chips -- Important Addresses -- Acronyms -- Appendices A-S.