1. Intellectual Property Lecture CS 495 Senior Project Phase I

2. CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture
Outline
What is intellectual property?
Types of intellectual property
Lawrence Lessig TED talk
Open Source
Assignments
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture

3. What is Intellectual Property (IP)?
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce.
Reference: World Intellectual Property Organization ( ip/en/index.html)
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture

4. Types of IP Rights Industrial Property
Patent - grants an inventor exclusive rights to make, use, sell, and import an invention for a limited period of time, in exchange for the public disclosure of the invention, which may be a product or a process
Industrial design right - protects the visual design of objects that are not purely utilitarian.
Trademark - a recognizable sign, design or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others.
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture

5. Types of IP Rights Creative Works
Copyright - gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time.
Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio and television programs.
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture

6. Lawrence Lessig TED Talk
What is the difference between a read-write culture and a read-only culture?
Why is most user-generated content on the Internet considered to be illegal?
What is the proposed solution?
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture

7. CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture
Open Source
Open source - denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified.
Reference: Open Source Initiative (
How does open source software fit into the current IP landscape?
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture

8. CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture
Assignment 1
Due next class (Friday):
Find 2 open-source products.
In groups, you will discuss one product regarding:
The proprietary competitors of this product
The state of the marketplace for these products
Any legal or business actions taken by the proprietary competitors in response to open-source competition
Your own viewpoint on whether this competition has created a better product.
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture

9. CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture
Assignment 2
Due in two classes (Monday):
Choose one of the open-source products you found (you may not choose the one that was discussed in class)
Write a 1-2 page essay discussing the issues given on the previous slide.
Submit a hardcopy to the instructor and submit a PDF copy to LiveText.
There will be more discussion during class.
Wednesday, October 16
CS 495 Intellectual Property Lecture