Intellectual property (IP) is a term recognizable to the average person, but as SCORE Princeton mentor Roy Rosser explains, “many are often unsure of exactly what constitutes intellectual property, or how copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets apply to their own business situations.”
To help identify these forms of expression, Rosser, a registered U.S. patent agent in solo practice, will define intellectual property in a Zoom presentation on Monday, October 24, at 6:30 p.m. Registration for the free event is available online at SCORE Princeton’s website, princeton.score.org.
Cornell Law School describes intellectual property as “any product of the human intellect that the law protects from unauthorized use by others,” which Rosser elaborates on further by saying the following: “Although IP is typically associated with inventions and artistic creations, many may be surprised that most businesses have often overlooked but valuable intellectual property in the form of items such as client lists and vendor pricing lists.”
Rosser was the inventor of the technology used to project virtual content into television broadcasts such as the first down line in football games; this was accomplished under the Lawrenceville company he co-founded, PVI Virtual Media Services, later acquired by ESPN.
He adds that what initially drew him to IP law was “a love for ingenuity and his experience of patenting and protecting his own inventions,” with his work helping others to do the same for their ideas.
At the webinar, Rosser will clarify which of the four IP areas — copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, and patents — would be the “most appropriate” for given scenarios, as well as “outline the practical steps needed to implement such protection — and the costs entailed.”
Rosser’s time as a patent agent has led him to work with major entities such as Princeton University and Major League Baseball, but as he says via email, he regularly represents “startups, small businesses, and independent inventors — all motivated by helping protect the imaginative spirit.”
