Intellectual Property and Patents: How to Protect Your Idea

Discover what you need to protect your idea. Navigate the process. Turn your idea into a protected product.

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You’re an entrepreneur, which means you have ideas. Lots of them.

But just because you have an idea does not mean that you are the sole owner of that idea. If you don’t learn how to legally protect your idea, anyone — a colleague, competitor, or an employee, for instance — can copy it and profit from it without any legal repercussions.

In this course, expert intellectual property attorney David Postolski will discuss the different ways you can protect an idea, the parts of an idea that are protectable, and the ways to obtain protection for you idea.


You will learn...

  • What intellectual property is
  • What a patent really is
  • What copyrights and trademarks are
  • The different types of marks a business can have
  • Why investors favor in businesses with patents/IP protection
  • The different types of patents
  • IP case studies and gray areas
  • International patent law
  • What constitutes patent infringement

You will learn how to...

  • Copyright and trademark your IP
  • Decide whether or not your business needs a patent
  • Search patent databases to make sure your idea isn’t already patented
  • File your own patent
  • Decide whether you need a patent attorney or not and hire that person
  • Navigate the patent application process and deal with examiners
  • Maneuver with a pending patent
  • Market your patent to investors and customers
  • Pursue legal action against someone violating your patent
  • React if you are accused of patent infringement

This course is right for you if...

  • You have an unprotected idea
  • You want to turn your idea into an app or product
  • You’re ready to speak with investors about your product but need protection first
  • You want to copyright a slogan or trademark a logo or design
  • You don’t know how to register a trademark or copyright
  • You don’t know how to file a patent
  • Someone is using your patented idea
  • You want to make sure you aren’t infringing on a protected idea
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Your Instructor


David Postolski
David Postolski

For 15 years, David has specialized in assisting inventors, creators, artists, startups, entrepreneurs, early stage companies, and emerging companies with their U.S and International intellectual property strategy, protection, enforcement, and monetization.


Course Curriculum


  Introduction
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  Discussion: Intellectual Property and Patents
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  Session One: Copyrights and trademarks
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  Session Two: Why to file a patent and how
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  Session Three: The patent process & infringement
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  Bonus Session: Trademarks and Copyrights
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Frequently Asked Questions


Sounds complicated. Can’t I just go without a copyright or patent?
No. No. No. If your idea is not legally protected, anyone can take it and make money off of it — and you will have no recourse. And if you don’t research the patents around your idea, you may unintentionally infringe on someone else’s copyright, trademark, or patent, putting your company in jeopardy.
Should I hire someone else to do this right off the bat?
There will be cases (and we’ll get into them in the course) where you will need to work with an attorney. But many entrepreneurs will be able to file for a patent or other form of IP protection without the services of an attorney.
I have a patent. Do I still need to take this course?
Yes, because you might not know what to do if someone infringes on your patent or accuses you of infringing on theirs.
Are there any prerequisites? Do I need to have an idea?
While it’s helpful to have an idea for a business before you take this course, you should still take it if you don’t have an idea. You will still learn about the steps that every entrepreneur needs to take to protect their idea.