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  Patent and Engineering Law Classes with Professor Joe Barich

Introduction to Intellectual Property
(LAW)


This course will explore how legal tools may be used in the construction and successful operation of your company to deliver the next great product to market. Topics covered in the class include: issues with business formation, intellectual property, non-disclosure agreements, contracts, and other corporate legal issues particularly impacting startups.


Spring 2019 Syllabus

Class #
Materials
Class Topic
1
Sole Proprietor
Partnership
General Partnership
Uniform Partnership Act
Limited Partnership
Limited Liability Partnership
Corporation
C-Corp
Privately-Held Company
S-Corp
Limited Liability Company (LLC)
Piercing the Corporate Veil
Choosing a Legal Structure
Business Partnerships Are Not Preferred
I.   Basics and Forming a Business
            A.   Business Entities
                        1. Sole Proprietorship
                        2. Partnership
                        3. Corporation
                        4. LLC
 
CLASS 1 NOTES






2
Articles of Incorporation
Bylaws
Illinois Business Startup Guide
Illinois Corporate Name Search
USPTO Trademark Search
Domain Name Registrar (Go Daddy)
New Generic Top Level Domains
Illinois LLC Guide
Illinois LLC Articles of Organization
Sample LLC Operating Agreement
Illinois Corporation Guide
Illinois Corporate Articles of Incorporation
Sample Corporate Bylaws
Sample General Partnership Agreement
Entrepreneur Web Sites
More Entrepreneur Websites
FEIN Number Application
World Business Chicago
Chicago Business Education Classes
HowToStartAnLLC.org
B.   The practicalities of forming your                corporation
            1. Choosing a corporate name
            2. How a state corporation registry                          works
            3. Bylaws and Operating Agreements   
                Examples and Important Clauses
 


CLASS 2 NOTES








3
Seedhack Founders Agreement
Founder's Agreement Myths
Vesting
Founder's Agreement With Vesting
Stock Dilution
Co-Founder Development
Amazon Profitability
Incorporation Presentation Template

C.   Ownership agreements
            1. Get it in writing
            2. Founders ownership agreements
            3. Valuation and dilution – taking
                the long view
            4. Restrictions on transfer of stock
            5. Negotiation Exercise

CLASS 3 NOTES
4
How Funding Works Chart
Bootstrap Funding
CrowdFunding
Kickstarter
Actual Startup Pitch Decks
Angel Investor
Angel List
Hyde Park Angels
Angel Capital Association
Accredited Investor
SEC Accredited Investor Bulletin
Illinois Angel Investment Credit
Startup Growth Rate
YCombinator
Accelerator Listing
Startup Funding Explained
SBA Website
Venture Capital
VC Listing
Negotiating with VCs
Serra Ventures
IllinoisVentures
SBA Loans
Convertible Debt 1
Convertible Debt 2
Convertible Debt 3
Convertible Debt 4
Gross Income
Tax Deduction
Stock Option
83(b) Election
Corporate Valuation
Typical Valuation Multiples
Top Cities for Venture Investing
D.   Funding arrangements
            1. How startups get money
            2. Bootstrap
            3. Angel
            4. Bank loan
            5. SBA
            6. Grants
            7. VCs
            8. Tax implications
            9. Stock Options




CLASS 4 NOTES





Questions Before Exam

EXAM #1 - On Class 1-4 materials










5
Contract
Restatement of Contracts 1
Restatement of Contracts 2
UCC 1
UCC 2
Jurisdiction
Federal Question Jurisdiction
Diversity Jurisdiction
State Courts
US Federal Courts
State vs. Federal Court Comparison

II.   Contracts
            A.   Introduction to Contracts
                        1. What is a Contract
                        2. Interpretation and
                            Enforcement of Contracts
                        3. Get It In Writing


CLASS 5 NOTES


6
Review Exam #1

Ultra Vires
Corporate Veil
Mistake
Misrepresentation
Fraud
Duress
Undue Influence
Consideration
Promissory Estoppel
Unclean Hands
Negotiation
Contract Negotiation Basics
Contract Negotiation Strategies
Term Sheet
BATNA
B.   Contract Formation
            1. Offer, Acceptance, and
                Consideration, etc.
            2. The negotiation process
            3. Practical contract terms and
                enforcement considerations
            4. “Reasonably promptly”, “best
                efforts”
 
CLASS 6 NOTES






7
Statute of Frauds
Blue-pencil 
Bankruptcy
Warranty
Implied Warranty
Indemnification Clause
NDA/Confidentiality
Non-Compete Agreement
Mass Non-Compete Reform
Jimmy John's Non-Compete
JJ Non-Compete Illinois AG Article
JJ Settlement
Illinois Freedom to Work Act
Breach of Confidentiality Suit
C.   Specific Contracts and terms
            1. Performance
            2. Modification of Agreement
            3. Damages
            4. Warranties
            5. Indemnification
            6. Non-Disclosure Agreements
            7. Non-Competes
 

CLASS 7 NOTES


8
Term Sheet
Sample Term Sheet
National Venture Capital Assn.
Term Sheet Generator
Guidelines for Online Agreements
Google Terms of Service
Yahoo Terms of Service
Snapchat Terms of Service
Lease
Net Lease
Triple Net Lease
Sample Office Lease
Sample Commercial Lease
D.   Specific Contracts and terms
            1. Term Sheets
            2. Terms and Conditions on Websites
            3. Lease Agreements


CLASS 8 NOTES






9
Assignment
License
Royalties
Cross-Licensing
Sample Patent Assignment
Sample Exclusive License
Strategic Alliance
Joint Venture
Joint Venture - 2
7 Deadly Joint Venture Sins
Joint Venture Checklist
E.   Specific Contracts and terms
            1. IP Assignments
            2. Joint Venture Agreements
 
CLASS 9 NOTES

Questions Before Exam

EXAM #2 – On Class 5-9 materials


10
Intellectual Property
Ancient Brian Surgery
Dentistry 4,000-7,000 years old
Hero of Alexandria
Roman inventions
Ancient Islamic civilization inventions
Letters Patent
Patent
Copyright
Trademark
Trade Secret
III.   Intellectual Property (IP)
            A.   Into to IP
                        1. Patents
                        2. Copyrights
                        3. Trademarks
                        4. Trade Secrets

 CLASS 10 NOTES
 Lightspeed Presentation

11
Review Exam #2
Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)
Patent Application
Patenting Process
US Pat. No. 7,753,421
US Pat. No. 7,017,598
US Pat. App. Pub No. US 2004/0221883
US Pat. No. 5,871,783
US Pat. No. 6,210,728
Statutory Subject Matter
Bilski
Alice v. CLS
Barich Bilski Paper
Novelty
Non-Obviousness
Patent Do's and D'oh!
Sufficiency Of Disclosure
A.   Patents
            1. The Patenting Process
            2. Review of Sample Patents
            3. Recognizing Patentable Subject
                Matter
            4. Novelty
            5. Non-Obviousness
            6. 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112
 


CLASS 11 NOTES





12
Patent Claim
Novelty vs. Non-Infringement
America Invents Act (AIA)
Text of AIA
IPO AIA Comparison Chart
Design Patent
Apple v. Samsung
D595,574
D599,372
D604,305
D618,677
D593,087
A.   Patents           
            7. Claim Types
            8. Novelty vs. Infringement Analysis                9. Design Patents
          10. Startup Patent Issues



CLASS 12 NOTES



13
Trademark
Unregistered Trademark
Service Mark
Lanham Act
USC TM Laws
Trademark Fair Use
Genericized Trademark
PTO Tess
Trademarking Pizza Taste
Trademark Classes
 B.   Trademarks
            1. What can be trademarked
            2. TM v. ®
            3. The Trademark Process
            4. Using Trademarks as Business
                Tools



CLASS 13 NOTES
14
  
IV.   Additional Topics
            A. Practical Advice For Startups

CLASS 14 NOTES

Questions Before Exam

EXAM #3 – On Class 10-13 materials
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