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Introduction to Intellectual Property Syllabus
Spring 2021
GT 4801
Credit: 1 hour
MW 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. (EDT) - online
Instructors Information
Instructor
Email
Office Hours & Location
Lisha Li
By appointment - Virtual
Cynthia Kutka
By appointment – Virtual
General Information
Description
The Introduction to Intellectual Property is open to undergraduate students. The class is designed to
introduce students to the basic concepts of intellectual property, including its role in innovation, invention,
and business.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course you will be able to answer:
1. What is the difference between a patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret?
2. What are intellectual property rights?
3. How does an individual or company obtain intellectual property protection?
4. What are the business and commercial values and uses of intellectual property?
Weekly Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of Introduction to Intellectual Property, you will:
1. Develop a basic understanding of intellectual property.
2. Be able to define what types of intellectual property are protected by patents. You will gain an
overview of the patent application process, patent lifecycle, and the rights of a patent owner. You
will be introduced to the market strategy aspects of patents.
3. Define what types of intellectual property are protected by trademarks. You will gain an overview of
the trademark application process, trademark lifecycle, and the rights of a trademark owner. You
will be introduced to the business and market strategy aspects of patents.
4. Define what types of intellectual property are protected by trade secrets. You will gain an overview
of the business strategy behind trade secrets. You will be introduced to the methods of protecting
trade secrets.
5. Define what types of intellectual property are protected by copyrights. You will gain an overview of
the copyright application process, copyright lifecycle, and the rights of a copyright owner. You will
be introduced to the market strategy aspects of copyrights.
Curricular Theme Descriptions:
1. Defining intellectual property: What is the basis of intellectual property? What are the differences
between types and of intellectual property? You will learn the differences between patents,
trademarks, and trade secrets. We will also discuss the philosophical and legal concepts of
intellectual property in general.
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2. Purposes of intellectual property: What purpose does intellectual property serve in society? What are
the appropriate applications of different types of intellectual property?
3. Protecting intellectual property: What are the methods of protecting intellectual property? What
rights do these protections convey to the intellectual property owner?
4. Commercialization and entrepreneurship based on intellectual property: You will learn about how
intellectual property can be monetized. We will discuss how intellectual property can serve as the
foundation for start-up companies and other entrepreneurial ventures. You will be introduced to
concepts and methods of market research and analysis. Concepts behind intellectual property
management and business strategy will be covered.
Course Requirements & Grading
Assignment
Weight
Attendance
30%
Assignments
20%
Project presentation
25%
Project paper
25%
A student will pass Introduction to Intellectual Property if the student’s point total at the end of the program
is greater than or equal to 70% AND accumulates points in all three of the categories listed above.
Course Deliverables:
1. Pretest: this is an ungraded quiz administered the first day of class to establish the student’s existing
knowledge
2. Project: This is a graded project based on part of the process involved in protecting specific
intellectual property. The project deliverables consists of two parts: a class presentation and a paper
to be submitted in Word or PDF format
3. Assignments: These are graded homework assignments related to a specific IP topic covered in class.
4. Attendance: Introduction to Intellectual Property is most beneficial to students when they attend
scheduled group meetings and program activities. As such, attendance is a significant component of
the program and will count towards the course grade. Institute Attendance Policy:
http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/4/
Grading Scale
Your final grade will be assigned as a letter grade according to the following scale:
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 0-59%
Course Materials
Course Textbooks
Patent Law Essentials: A Concise Guide (By Alan L. Durham, Praeger, c2018. EBook with Unlimited User
Access)
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1684146
Access to other materials will be provided by the instructors
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Canvas Course Modules
GT-4801 https://gatech.instructure.com/courses/XXXXXX
Course Expectations & Guidelines
Academic Integrity
Georgia Tech aims to cultivate a community based on trust, academic integrity, and honor. Students are
expected to act according to the highest ethical standards. For information on Georgia Tech's Academic
Honor Code, please visit http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/policies/honor-code/ or
http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/18/.
Any student suspected of cheating or plagiarizing on a quiz, exam, or assignment will be reported to the
Office of Student Integrity, who will investigate the incident and identify the appropriate penalty for
violations.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with learning needs that require special accommodation, contact the Office of Disability
Services at (404)894-2563 or http://disabilityservices.gatech.edu/, as soon as possible, to make an
appointment to discuss your special needs and to obtain an accommodations letter. Please also e-mail me as
soon as possible in order to set up a time to discuss your learning needs.
Policies on Homework and Exams:
Please note that all assignments must be handed in on the due date. Only medical reasons will be considered
for late assignments. Only in extreme cases will late homework be accepted -- with a penalty. In addition,
personal trips must be scheduled around exams as exams will not be rescheduled to accommodate early trips
home or any other trips of a personal nature. All requests for re-grades must be made in writing and must be
submitted within one week after instructor returns the homework or exams. Re-grades will not be considered
at the end of the semester. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Student-Faculty Expectations Agreement
At Georgia Tech we believe that it is important to strive for an atmosphere of mutual respect,
acknowledgement, and responsibility between faculty members and the student body. See
http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/22/ for an articulation of some basic expectation that you can have of
us and that we have of you. In the end, simple respect for knowledge, hard work, and cordial interactions will
help build the environment we seek. Therefore, we encourage you to remain committed to the ideals of
Georgia Tech while in this class.
Use of Mobile Devices, Laptops, etc. During Class
As research on learning shows, unexpected noises and movement automatically divert and capture people's
attention, which means you are affecting everyone’s learning experience if your cell phone, pager, laptop,
etc. makes noise or is visually distracting during class. That said, many students find it useful to have a
mobile device on hand to access course materials.
With this in mind, we allow you to take notes on your laptop, but request that you turn the sound off so that
you do not disrupt other students' learning.
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Course Schedule
Week
Class
Date
Topic
Reading, Notes,
Due dates, and
more
I
Overview of Intellectual Property
Reading list
1
Introduction, pretest, class expectations
Overview of intellectual property: types of IP,
importance/impact of IP
Pre-class survey
(ungraded)
2
Career Path of An IP Attorney
Guest Speaker: Stephen E. Kabakoff, IP
Attorney and Partner at Finnegan
Project & team
II
Patents
Reading list
3
Type of patents, patent terms, costs, patenting
processes, patentability and patent search
Assignment 1
description
4
U.S. Patent Law
III
Copyrights
Reading list
5
Copyright general
Guest Speaker: Meredith Regains, Executive
Director, Georgia Patents
6
WIPO & International agreements and treaties
IV
Trademarks
Reading list
7
Trademark general, trademark search
Assignment 1 due
8
Market and competitive landscape and analysis
Assignment 2
description
V
Trade Secrets, Unfair competition, Campus
resources, and Wrap-up
Reading list
9
Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition
Assignment 2 due
10
Campus IP Resources
Guest speaker: GTRC
Project due
VI
11
Project presentation & Discussions
Post-class survey
(ungraded)
Disclaimer
The instructors reserve the right to amend this syllabus as necessary. Any changes will be announced in class.
