Course Details:
OverviewImagine you've invented a great new widget that increases the efficiency of your bicycle manufacturing plant by 25%. Now you're able to undersell the competition and still make a handsome profit. What should you do next? Should you keep the invention a secret within your company? But, how do you ensure that one of your workers doesn't sell your widget idea to a competitor. Maybe you should patent your widget? But, then your competition will find out about your secret weapon. They may be able to copy or imitate your design. Perhaps you should get a patent and license out the technology to your competitors. If they're going to steal it anyway, are you better off selling it to them first?
The know-how to produce a product or a service in a manner that sets a company apart from its competitors is a proprietary advantage that must be protected for continued success. In this course, you will learn how to protect the technology that you develop. This course will cover basic corporate intellectual property programs, the use of confidentiality agreements, considerations in determining whether to patent or maintain technology as a trade secret, protection of trade secrets, and proper record keeping for inventors. You will also learn key concepts about patents, including how to identify potentially patentable assets, impediments to obtaining patent protection and key aspects about patent ownership and exploitation.
The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty (20) questions at the end of this course to earn PDH credits.
This course cannot be taken to fulfill your continuing education requirements in the state of New York since the course does not fall under the category of "Areas of Practice" or "Law/Ethics".
Specific Knowledge or Skill AttainedThis course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills: - Corporate intellectual property protection programs
- How to identify potentially patentable assets
- Considerations in determining whether to patent or maintain technology as a trade secret
- What a patent will and won't do for you
- Inventor's record keeping
- Corporate security considerations in maintaining trade secrets
- Important bars to patentability
- Key aspects of patent ownership for the employer
- The use of confidentiality agreements
- Patent ownership, licensing and assignments
State Board AcceptanceThis course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.
This course cannot be taken to fulfill your continuing education requirements in the state of New York since the course does not fall under the category of "Areas of Practice" or "Law/Ethics".
*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.Please Note: Continuing Education credits for this course are awarded as PDH (Professional Development Hour Credits).
Certification:Certificate of Completion