Objective:
Unlike other forms of Intellectual Property, it can be difficult to protect software fully under the four U.S. Intellectual Property laws.
Writing assignment
The CEO of UNFinished Business has asked you to analyze and describe the best way to protect the company's latest computer game, UNFettered Vengence, using a combination of the four U.S. Intellectual Property laws - Copyright, Patent, Trademark and Trade Secret. You are expected to utilize ALL four of the Intellectual Property laws at least once; however, only one Intellectual Property law can be used to protect a specific element of the computer game (i.e., multiple Intellectual Property laws CANNOT be used to protect a specific element), but you may use the same Intellectual Property law multiple times to protect different elements of the computer game. It is recommended that you break the computer game into smaller sets of related elements, and then select the best way to protect each group of elements; furthermore, you should consider all of the possible elements of the computer game such as the source code, game engine, controllers, characters, storyline, packaging, commercials, etc.
Requirement:
- 1000 words total
- Flesch Kincaid readability level must be 14+
Info about Intellectual Property laws
Intellectual Property covers so many different types of intangible property that, in the U.S. at least, there are four specific sets of laws that protect Intellectual Property: copyright law (music, movies, books, and all forms of art), patent law (inventions, processes and algorithms), trademark law (logos, words and phrases) and trade secret law (the formula for Coca-Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken's eleven secret herbs and spices). The reason why so many laws exist to protect Intellectual Property is that, unlike other forms of property, because Intellectual Property is intangible, it is extremely costly (time, money and effort) to produce the first instance of a new item of Intellectual Property, but once the item has been produced, the item can be copied and/or transmitted easily without destroying the original (i.e., mp3 downloads); consequentially, it can be difficult for an Intellectual Property owner to control access to the property, as well as receive proper reimbursement for the sale and/or use of the property. For example, it can take months, if not years, for a musical artist to produce a new album, and the process can require dozens of unique professionals and over a million dollars to complete, but once the artist releases the album, a single fan can buy a single album, quickly convert it into mp3 files, and supply an infinite demand at little to no cost to his or herself (the price of the album); however, except for that single album, the artist would not receive any money for his or her efforts.