Quimbee Intellectual Property Law CLE Online

If you’re looking for a simple, engaging way to learn about intellectual property law and fulfill your continuing legal education (CLE) requirements, look no further than Quimbee CLE online.

All Quimbee CLE online courses are built from the ground up by our world-class team of attorneys and designers. Our goal is to create a product that will not only help you meet your CLE requirements, but will actually be enjoyable. Sign up for a Quimbee CLE course today!

An Overview of Intellectual Property Law

Intellectual property (IP) refers to intangible creations owned by individuals or organizations and protected by law. Congress derives its power to regulate intellectual property from Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution, which is known as the Copyright Clause or Intellectual Property Clause. Generally, IP is divided into four categories: patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets.

Copyright refers to the exclusive right to reproduce a particular work. The U.S. Copyright Act (Copyright Act), 17 U.S.C. §§ 101–810, is the primary piece of legislation protecting copyright. The Copyright Act covers all works fixed in a “tangible medium of expression.” In Feist Publications v. Rural Telephone Service, 499 U.S. 340 (1991), the U.S. Supreme Court stated that a work must have "some minimal degree of creativity” to be considered a copyrightable work. Copyright law features an extensive jurisprudence dedicated to determining the bounds of protection.

A patent gives its owner the exclusive right to prevent others from making, using, or selling the patented invention. 35 U.S.C. § 101 provides a broad definition of patentable subject matter, stating that anyone who “invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof” may seek a patent. For an invention to be patentable, the invention must be useful, novel, and nonobvious.

A trademark is any word, name, or symbol, used to identify and distinguish one manufacturer or seller from others. The Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1051, outlines federal trademark protection. For a mark to be eligible for trademark protection, the mark must be used in commerce and be distinctive.

A trade secret is business information that has economic value because it is not generally known or readily ascertainable. The Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA) is a piece of legislation that has been adopted by 47 states and the District of Columbia (Delaware is one example of a state that has adopted a version of the UTSA). The UTSA lays out the elements and remedies of a trade-secret claim.

Who Should Take CLE Courses in Intellectual Property Law?

As innovation continues, intellectual property law will remain a fast-developing field. Not only must IP attorneys be aware of new laws relevant to their work, but they must also stay abreast of the latest technological advances that could create entirely new markets. Quimbee CLE may not be able to help IP attorneys predict the future, but we can provide efficient, effective courses on IP law that will help lawyers fulfill their CLE requirements while staying updated on the newest developments in the law.