This is a great book for the non-lawyer. It explains not only IP law, but also the ramifications that these regulations can have to your business as a holder of IP.

A ravenous beastie, technology eats everything it touches. Our daily lives, the way we shop, how we communicate, our work habits, the way we entertain ourselves, and how we exist day by day have all irreversibly transmogrified in the maw of the computer and information age. Now we live like network packets, shooting from node to node with rarely a pause, gathering and transporting information. In degrees of busyness, we've outdone the bees. Such a tsunami of change has to impact the way we govern ourselves. And of course it does. Not even the law escapes technology.



Patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets. Technology has chiseled into each one of these modes of intellectual property protection. But the issues remain complicated and hairy, and this book, with text thick as shag carpet, provides a detailed starting point for exploring the legal implications of technology.



After a thorough introduction to the United States' legal system, some 75 pages worth, the book dives into patent law. Any questions about the nature of patents such as cost, usefulness, novelty, nonobviousness, infringement, or validity receive apt treatment. The book even throws in an overview of the significant Patent Reform Act, not yet passed as of this writing. This Act promises to overhaul the United States patent system, potentially obsoleting some of the information presented. Concerning the patentability of computer programs, the whole drama gets laid out like an adventure tale. Computer programs didn't become patentable overnight. Some even doubted their eligibility for protection.



Trade secrets and their discontents, such as reverse engineering, receive a bulky chapter. These issues affect nearly all technology employees. Use caution, because tricks, shortcuts, or streamlined processes taken from one company to the next could, depending on the circumstances, misappropriate secret information. And when that happens the lawyers come out swinging.



The fuzzy nature of Copyright law receives as much tree bark as patent law. Questions arise on this subject often, especially in regard to the internet. Can I copy an image and put it on my site? Can I legally download digital music? What if a .jpeg doesn't have a copyright notice? The book provides a suitable background to answer these. And, similar to patents, the copyrightablility of computer programs also weaved a loopy route. At first they received overwhelming protection, which disturbed judges, who then abstracted, filtered, and compared protection down to a mere kernal of expression. The entire yarn gets told.



The book ends with chapters on trademarks, domain name issues, tort liability, privacy law, and issues related to contracts, particularly "shrink-wrap" and "click-wrap" licenses. At over 600 pages, the book defies summary. Prepare for a full brain.



Along the way, excerpts from actual court cases, including many Supreme Court decisions, bolster the main text. Not only that, a case study, CoolEdge, runs through the entire length of the book, elucidating murky concepts with comprehensible examples.



This book won't turn readers into lawyers, but it will open up a world of technology law to those with the gusto to brave its dense contents. Some chapters take upwards of two or three hours to complete. But the effort offers great rewards of legal knowledge at a detailed level unobtainable in most survey books or on FAQ websites. Best of all, no legal knowledge is required upon entry. Absolute beginners can comprehend every word in this book. As such it provides a great, but ardous, starting point for technology law.

A ravenous beastie, technology eats everything it touches. Our daily lives, the way we shop, how we communicate, our work habits, the way we entertain ourselves, and how we exist day by day have all irreversibly transmogrified in the maw of the computer and information age. Now we live like network packets, shooting from node to node with rarely a pause, gathering and transporting information. In degrees of busyness, we've outdone the bees. Such a tsunami of change has to impact the way we govern ourselves. And of course it does. Not even the law escapes technology.

Patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets. Technology has chiseled into each one of these modes of intellectual property protection. But the issues remain complicated and hairy, and this book, with text thick as shag carpet, provides a detailed starting point for exploring the legal implications of technology.

After a thorough introduction to the United States' legal system, some 75 pages worth, the book dives into patent law. Any questions about the nature of patents such as cost, usefulness, novelty, nonobviousness, infringement, or validity receive apt treatment. The book even throws in an overview of the significant Patent Reform Act, not yet passed as of this writing. This Act promises to overhaul the United States patent system, potentially obsoleting some of the information presented. Concerning the patentability of computer programs, the whole drama gets laid out like an adventure tale. Computer programs didn't become patentable overnight. Some even doubted their eligibility for protection.

Trade secrets and their discontents, such as reverse engineering, receive a bulky chapter. These issues affect nearly all technology employees. Use caution, because tricks, shortcuts, or streamlined processes taken from one company to the next could, depending on the circumstances, misappropriate secret information. And when that happens the lawyers come out swinging.

The fuzzy nature of Copyright law receives as much tree bark as patent law. Questions arise on this subject often, especially in regard to the internet. Can I copy an image and put it on my site? Can I legally download digital music? What if a .jpeg doesn't have a copyright notice? The book provides a suitable background to answer these. And, similar to patents, the copyrightablility of computer programs also weaved a loopy route. At first they received overwhelming protection, which disturbed judges, who then abstracted, filtered, and compared protection down to a mere kernal of expression. The entire yarn gets told.

The book ends with chapters on trademarks, domain name issues, tort liability, privacy law, and issues related to contracts, particularly "shrink-wrap" and "click-wrap" licenses. At over 600 pages, the book defies summary. Prepare for a full brain.

Along the way, excerpts from actual court cases, including many Supreme Court decisions, bolster the main text. Not only that, a case study, CoolEdge, runs through the entire length of the book, elucidating murky concepts with comprehensible examples.

This book won't turn readers into lawyers, but it will open up a world of technology law to those with the gusto to brave its dense contents. Some chapters take upwards of two or three hours to complete. But the effort offers great rewards of legal knowledge at a detailed level unobtainable in most survey books or on FAQ websites. Best of all, no legal knowledge is required upon entry. Absolute beginners can comprehend every word in this book. As such it provides a great, but ardous, starting point for technology law.

Call this book Release 2.0! It's a fine upgrade from Prof. Burgunder's prior release.

With the growth in the internet and the advent of business method patents, interest in patent, trademark and copyright issues has surged to new heights. Awareness and integration of these legal aspects into our management of technology is absolutely vital for the future.

I practice law. Specifically, I work on intellectual property matters. I am also building two websites. As a result, I am keen on staying on top of my field. Professor Burgunder's new treatise is an important addition to the literature in this field. He writes in an accessible manner: open to students, interested people and legal practitioners alike. In addition, the arrangement of the book is well thought-out: you don't have to read or study it from the first chapter. Depending on your familiarity with this field, you can select topics and areas to review or you can build a college course around the book.

I was also delighted to see that Dr. Burgunder has been intelligent in the use of a web site to keep the book current.

If you are interested in technology and legal issues, this is a great book to help you! I recommend it heartily.