Patent Vocabulary

1. Patent
The legal right to exclude others from producing or using an inventor’s discovery or invention

2. Copyright
The authority by which the owner has the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, or perform his or her writings, music, or art

3. Trademark
A distinctive design, picture, logo, or wording affixed to goods to identify the maker

4. Trade Secret
Unique information about a product that the maker may legally protect from being released to others

5. Infringement
The improper use of a patent or copyright by persons not authorized to do so

6. Possession
The condition of having control and authority over property

7. Real Property
Land and the buildings attached to it

8. Personal Property
Tangible things that are easily moveable

9. Intellectual Property
Usually copyrights, patents, and trademarks

10. Exclusive
Sole, no other

11. Plagiarism
Taking the words or work of another and presenting them as your own

12. ASCAP
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers — an organization that protects the copyright and performance rights of its members

13. Public Domain
The right of anyone to use material after the copyright has expired

14. Invention
A discovery, finding, process, or product that is new or innovative

15. Royalty
The fee that may be charged by the holder of a copyright or patent to allow someone else to use it

Sources:

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, 1999

www.law.cornell.edu

 

Lesson 1 - The Concept of Property in Our Society

Lesson 2 - Property Rights and Intellectual Property

Lesson 3 - How Inventions Change the Way We Live

Lesson 4 - Current Issues in Intellectual Property Law

Patent Timeline

Patent Vocabulary