Final Team Paper Learning Team D.docx - Running head: FINAL...

Running head: FINAL TEAM PAPER 1
Final Team Paper
Learning Team D- Daniel Parent, Kimberly Gaynor, Vicki Malko
University of Phoenix
BSCOM/415- Communication Law
Instructor- Dr. Harry Strine IV
April 30, 2018

FINAL TEAM PAPER 2
Final Team Paper
Throughout this paper we will be looking at the intellectual property, and copyright laws
should be respected and defended with strong laws and regulations that are enforced by the
government. Also, that current intellectual property, and copyright laws are inadequate and
unenforceable in the technology environment, which can have a negative impact on our global
economy.
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is creations of the mind. Intellectual p roperty law refers to the
protection of these creations of the mind which grant the creator exclusive ownership and rights
of “exploiting and benefiting from their creation...these rights, also called monopoly right of
exploitation, are limited in scope, duration and geographical extent” (European Space Agency
(ESA), n.d., para 2). ESA (n.d), further explained that intellectual property protection “is
intended to stimulate the creativity of the human mind for the benefit of all by ensuring that the
advantages derived from exploiting a creation benefit the creator. This will encourage creative
activity and allow investors in research and development a fair return on their investment” (para
3). Since intellectual property encompasses various forms of creation and this stimulation of
creativity keeps creators creating, it thus continues to provide society and humanity with a
constant flow of new and useful works and products. Creative stimulation and the exploiting and
benefiting of creations boosts and stimulates the economy.
Below are the most common categories of intellectual property:
• Patents—Patents gives exclusive rights over your invention for a specific amount of time, in
exchange for full disclosure. Inventions such as electronics, machines or pharmaceuticals are
patented. Weinstein (2015), tells us that to receive a patent, the invention must be novel, not

FINAL TEAM PAPER 3
obvious, useful, and “reduced to practice”, which means someone skilled in your industry must
be able to read your information and make the product (para 6). An idea of an invention or
product is not able to be patented; a blueprint to instructions must exist for the creation of that
idea.
• Trademarks —Trademarks are words, symbols, colors, sounds, or smells that someone is using
in conjunction with a product or service (para 8).
• Trade secrets —Trade secrets are secret information that a business uses which sets it apart
from other business. Common trade secrets include manufacturing processes, client lists,
ingredients, systems, sales methods, launch strategies, and business plans (para 9).