ABSTRACT
Copyrights, trademarks, patents, and, sometimes, trade secrets are typically grouped into an area of the law that has become known as intellectual property. While the US Copyright Office is an arm of the Library of Congress, the United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency of the Department of Commerce headed by the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks who is also an Assistant Secretary of Commerce. Trade secrets can take many forms, including formulas, plans, processes, devices, and compounds. The copyright statute is fairly vague about where a copyright notice should be placed, but the Copyright Office has issued regulations that are quite specific, although flexible. Trade secrets can take many forms, including formulas, plans, processes, devices, and compounds. US companies are able to take criminal and civil action against infringers in 171 some other countries because of the Berne Convention Implementation Act as well as agreements reached with individual countries.
