Whether you're an inventor, designer, writer or programmer, you need to understand the language of intellectual property law to intelligently deal with intellectual property issues such as: . who owns creative works or valuable information. how these owners can protect and enforce their ownership rights. how disputes between intellectual property owners can be resolved, and. how ownership rights can best be transferred to others.With this ''Patent, Copyright & Trademark,'' you will: . get clear overviews of relevant laws. understand the different kinds of protection offered by patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets -- and which apply to your work. get a plain-English definition of every term you're likely to come across, and. find the information you need, quickly and easily -- all entries are organized by topic and extensively cross-referenced. This edition has been updated to reflect the latest changes in intellectual property law, this edition provides the latest U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rules and forms. It includes up-to-date discussions of the new ''first to file'' rule, which promises to revolutionize patent law. Plus, read all new Q&As excerpted from author Richard Stim's regularly updated blog, ''Dear Rich.''