Invention [Software Patents 101]
Kirk Teska · IEEE Spectrum · 2008
The four pillars of intellectual property-patents, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets all play roles in protecting software. No wonder this is one of the most slippery subjects for an engineer's lawyer. To protect your intellectual property, choose the best tool for each stage in its creation. Luckily, the courts have established a framework that matches the way the real world works (up to a point). The framework begins by considering three milestones in software development: function, design, and code.