Trademark Law (Coursera)

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.