Patents were developed to provide economic incentive to individuals to invent and to promote the progress of science and the “useful arts.” The Constitution and Congress recognized that “inventors” should be awarded for a limited time the exclusive rights to their discoveries in exchange for society benefitting from the inventions being made public.
This course provides tips and approaches to help you determine whether you and/or your organization have innovations, inventions and patents and to help you foster, protect and profit from them. At the end of this course you should be able to:
+ Identify the rights accorded when a patent is granted.
+ Explain the possible damages and liabilities that can result from unlicensed use of a patent.
+ Describe the steps and work involved in obtaining a patent.
+ Recognize the liabilities and dangers that can occur in joint research agreements.
+ Describe a structured approach that should be followed by all employees regarding patent and invention best practices.
Wesley E. Donahue, Ph.D., PE, PLS, PMP, 6σ Black Belt (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), is the course Master Instructor. Formerly, he was the director of Penn State Management Development, a self-supporting provider of education and training services to business and industry clients around the world. Before joining Penn State, he was co-founder and executive vice president of a manufacturing and specialty engineering firm; manager of corporate development and international manager of technology for a Fortune 200 company; and, professional associate of a worldwide provider of technical management professional services.
