Exam 25: Intellectual Property

McDonald has invented a machine that harvests corn in the field, automatically shucks the corn from the husk, and peels the kernels from the cob, separating everything for easy disposal or further use. Assuming that all requirements are met for a patent, the length of his patent protection will be:

An essentially minimal improvement to an existing invention that is not worthy of patent protection is called a ________ improvement and is considered relatively obvious.

Illegal acquisition of a company's trade secret constitutes ______.

Mary Beth has written a novel. Copyright protection regarding her work will be for:

"Frosted Mini Wheats" is a descriptive mark that has acquired a secondary meaning and is afforded protection.

Companies sometimes make a strategic decision not to patent a particular invention or process. Why might a company sometimes choose not to seek a patent?

Trade secrets are protectable:

Why are trademarks worthy of protections as valuable business assets?

Trademarks must be distinctive and cannot be classified as arbitrary or fanciful, with no inherent relationship to the company's product or service.

Which of the following is not an example of a trademark lost, or in danger of losing protection, due to its becoming a generic term?

A patent holder should mark its product as patented in order to achieve the fullest protections. Each of the following is an acceptable means of marking the product except:

A trademark can be any of the following except a:

Cybersquatting describes the practice of:

Genericization occurs when a trademark has lost its distinctiveness and becomes a general term describing a type of product rather than a specific company's product.

Which of the following is not eligible for immediate trademark protection?

The only way to obtain protection for a trademark is by registering the trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Which of the following is an example of a suggestive trademark?

Igor is a brilliant chemist and one day decides to try to find out why Whipple Iced Tea tastes so good. Whipple advertises that it blends secret spices into its drink, and those secret spices are a closely guarded secret. The recipe is kept in a safe that is kept in a vault at the home office and is guarded by two former Special Forces soldiers at all times. Igor, after weeks of analysis, has discovered the recipe. Igor is guilty of misappropriation of the Whipple trade secret.

When an invention is shown to be new and unique, the invention has met the ________ standard.

"Computer City" is an example of a ________ trademark.