ECE 50005 - Intellectual Property Generation and Management: An Inventor's View

Note:

This course is classified as non-technical and therefore does not count toward the required 15 credit hours of ECE coursework for MSECE students or the required 18 credit hours of combined ECE and CS coursework for MSSWE students.

Course Details

Lecture Hours: 3 Credits: 3

Areas of Specialization:

Counts as:

  • EE Elective
  • CMPE Selective - Special Content

Normally Offered:

Each Fall, Spring, Summer

Campus/Online:

On-campus and online

Catalog Description:

This course will provide students with a comprehensive overview of the generation and management of intellectual property. Topics covered include the definition of a patent, an overview of intellectual property law, filing a patent with the USPTO, and various business aspects of managing and enforcing patents. This course is intended for engineering graduate students as well as upper-level engineering undergraduates. It may also be suitable for some students outside of engineering.

Required Text(s):

None.

Recommended Text(s):

None.

Learning Outcomes

A student who successfully fulfills the course requirements will have demonstrated an ability to:

  • Define the term patent
  • List key elements of patent law
  • Describe the process for gaining patent approval and the organizations involved
  • List strategies for enforcing intellectual property
  • Explain the differences between patents, trademarks, and copyrights

Lecture Outline:

Lecture Lecture Topics
1 What is a patent?
2 Introduction to IP law
3 Getting approval for your transaction
4 Characteristics of IP management office/infrastructure
5 How to get approvals from IP management office what should/should not be filed with USPTO
6 Leveraging IP in business
7 Masterpiece or wallpaper? Why some patents are worth millions and others are not
8 The new NDA/CDA policy and what you need to do with it
9 Technical advisory panel role into patents - how do you get an ID filed as a patent
10 Now that you have a patent, live examples of how owning IP can help your business deal
11 What's mine is mine, and yours is mine, too: Dividing up the spoils of joint development
12 Enforcing your patents for fun and profit: The Business Case
13 The other IP: Trademark, copyright, trade dress

Assessment Method:

Quizzes, homework, class participation & discussions (12/2023)