The protections afforded under trademark law have created incredible value in intangible assets, with the value of the world’s most valuable brands such as Amazon, Apple and Google each exceeding $100 billion. But what exactly is trademark law, and how is such enormous value created? This course examines the fundamentals of U.S. trademark law and the ways in which the manufacturers of various products and services can establish and protect their identities and the identities of their products in the marketplace.
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We will explore the purpose of trademark law, identify the different types of trademarks, including names, designs, logos, and trade dress, and explore strategies for choosing and protecting strong, potentially valuable trademarks. We will also discuss strategies for strengthening descriptive marks, and lay out the steps for filing for federal trademark protection. Finally, we will address how to design an ongoing maintenance strategy to protect, extend, and maximize the value of trademarks, and discuss strategies for responding to possible trademark infringement.
Course 3 of 4 in the Intellectual Property Law Specialization.
What You Will Learn
- Define the scope and subject matter of trademark protection
- Evaluate the usefulness and limits of seeking trademark protection
- Formulate a strategy for creating and protecting a strong trademark
- Design processes to maintain ownership and control of a trademark and respond to possible infringement
Syllabus
WEEK 1
What is a Trademark?
What is a trademark? What can and cannot qualify as a trademark? This module answers these important threshold questions to begin our study of U.S. trademark law.
WEEK 2
How to Choose the Right Trademark
What does it mean for a trademark to be "good?" What is a "strong" trademark? This module answers those questions, and demonstrates how to balance the sometimes competing interests of the marketing and legal departments of a business.
WEEK 3
Why and How to Protect a Trademark
In this module, you will learn if, when, and how to file for official trademark protection.
WEEK 4
How to Maintain a Mark and the Basics of Infringement
So you have a trademark - what now? This module will show you how to protect and police your trademark, as well as how to approach potential trademark infringement.
