COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
EXPLORING 21st CENTURY SKILLS and ISSUES
Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
Side Trip to the USPTO The products of human intelligence and creativity, such as products and works of inventors, musicians, authors, and artists is called intellectual property . It is treated like any other form of property . There are rights of ownership and laws for its protection from theft. Innovators and inventors protect their intellectual property from theft by applying to the The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for a patent. At the USPTO, a patent examiner reviews the design to determine if it meets the qualifications for a patent, and conducts a patent search for prior art , which
means that the design has already been patented by another inventor. If prior art exists, the application is denied. Works of art, music, writings, and pictures are protected by copyright issued by the U.S. Copyright Office. Go to uspto.gov to answer these questions: 1. You have invented a new product for dogs. It’s a ball that cures both nasty doggy-breath and annoying dog- snoring. Your sister is truly the family pet lover. While she didn’t contribute to the invention design, she gave you the money to pursue R&D and build a prototype. You want thank her by including her name on the patent application. Can you do this? Explain. (Patent Basics - Who May Apply for a Patent) _ ______________________________________________________________________________ _ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. For which of these things can you apply for a patent? Check all that apply. (Patent - Patent Basics - What Can No. A person who makes only a financial contribution cannot be listed as an inventor. PRODUCT PREVIEW
Be Patented) Process Machine Idea
Article of manufacture Composition of matter Suggestion Improvement of any of the above
3. Your sister recorded your dog’s snoring. Then she mixed it with a song she wrote and performed. She calls her dog snoring song a snong . Can she patent her artistic work? If not, what should she do to protect it? _ ______________________________________________________________________________ _ ______________________________________________________________________________ Artistic works like songs are not patentable . She must apply for a copyright.
185 THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT’S GUIDE TO FINANCIAL LITERACY
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