Intellectual Property and Innovation Strategy
The course examines intellectual property and innovation strategies for startup ventures, including early stage intellectual property and legal decisions. Topics will include an overview of building an IP portfolio, freedom to operate, establishing and protecting a brand, protecting software IP, entity formation, IP monetization, research conflicts of interest, and due diligence as they relate to all stages of entrepreneurial ventures—from the invention stage, to entity formation and financing, through exit. It will provide an introduction to intellectual property principles (including copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret) and their application in a startup context.
This course does not require students to have a technical background, although students should have an interest in launching or representing ventures based on technical innovation. This class includes graduate level engineering and science students who will be working on technological innovations they have created.