TRADEMARKS:

Myth #1: Trademarking is a luxury reserved for big and rich companies. 

Myth #2: Common words and phrases cannot be registered as trademarks.

Myth #3: A trademark registration grants ownership of that word for "everything." 

Myth #4: The formation of a company (corporation or LLC) proves that a name is available and protected.

Myth #5: A registered business name with a State or a registered fictitious name offers the same legal protection as a registered mark.

Myth #6: A mark Registration granted by USPTO is enforceable globally. 

Myth #7: Once a trademark is registered, it remains registered ad infinitum.

Myth# 8: A proper trademark search can be completed quickly online by amateurs.

Myth #9: One should wait until one's business grows before applying for a mark. 

Myth #10: If one is not currently using a mark, one should not yet file an Appln. 

Myth #11: As soon as an application is filed, one can lawfully use the® symbol.

Myth #12: One does not need to monitor one's mark because USPTO will not allow anyone else to register any similar mark(s).

COPYRIGHTS:

Myth #1: A so-called "Poor Man's" copyright will protect an original creative work. 

Myth #2: If one does not enforce one's copyright, one can lose it.

Myth #3: If one "innocently" copies a work, one does not need any permissions. 

Myth #4: If one is planning to give credit to the author who created a work that is being copied, one does not require any permission.

Myth# 5: If one is planning to use only a small amount of a protected work (i.e., a "sampling"), then, one does not need any permissions.

Myth #6: Where the author of a work lives and works in, e.g., France, the work is not protected by copyright in the United States.

Myth #7: If one plans to use another's copyrighted work only for non-profit or educational use, they do not require any permissions.

Myth #8: If one purchases a book, record, or other work that one plans to copy, that person already has permission to use the work they have bought.

Myth #9: If the work one seeks to copy does not show a copyright notice, it is, therefore, not protected by copyright and free to use.

Myth# 10: If one plans to alter a work, one need not seek any permissions. 

Myth #11: If one does not charge for the copy, then, it is not an infringement of anyone's copyright.

Myth #12: Any material which one may obtain from the Internet already is in the public domain and, thus, no permissions are required.

PATENTS:

Myth #1: If you have an idea, you can patent it to prevent its theft.

Myth #2: Anyone can get a patent for anything. (Inventions must be new, useful, and non-obvious, and something that can be made or used.)

Myth #3: A patent affords one the guarantee to produce and sell a product. 

Myth #4: One needs a working prototype before they can even file for a patent. 

Myth #5: Proper searches for patentability/novelty can be conducted by anyone.

Myth #6: Patents remain valid forever. (U.S. patents last a maximum of 20 years, depending on the type of patent applied.)

Myth #7: A U.S. patent protects one's invention worldwide.

Myth #8: A patent has value only if one possesses the budget to sue infringers. 

Myth #9: Software is not patentable.

Myth #10: One cannot infringe a patent if you did not copy another's product. 

Myth #11: A patent gives one a monopoly on an invention. (A patent gives one the right to exclude others from making, using, and selling the invention.)

Myth #12: A patent is only worth it if one sues all infringers. (It is up to the patent holder to enforce one's patent rights (they can sue in federal court).)

TRADE SECRETS:

Myth# 1: All confidential information is a trade secret. (Trade secrets can cover things like recipes, formulas, customer lists, software, data, compilations, equations, and unpatented inventions.)

Myth# 2: All trade secrets are protected automatically. 

Myth# 3: Trade secret protection lasts forever.

Myth# 4: Trade secrets are only protected by State law. (Trade secrets can be protected under both federal (i.e., DTSA) and the law of various states.) 

Myth# 5: Trade secrets require formal registration.

Myth# 6: Trade secrets cannot be destroyed by reverse engineering. 

Myth# 7: Trade secrets cannot be terminated by changed conditions.

Myth# 8:· Trade secrets cannot be used to hide potentially harmful or objectionable substances.

Myth #9: Trade secrets can include only technical information. 

Myth #10: Trade secrets can include only commercial information.

Myth #11: The owner need not take any steps to protect a trade secret. (Prophylactic measures include: NDAs; NCAs, IT security infrastructure, and limited accessibility.)

Myth# 12: The use of a trade secret always means that misappropriation has occurred. (Research and development; reverse engineering; market analysis).

EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS TRADE SECRETS:

• The Google® Search Algorithm Kentucky Fried Chicken® Coca-Cola®
• Lena Blackburn's Baseball Rubbing Mud® New York Times Bestseller List Listerine®
• WD-40®
• Twinkies®
• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts® 
• McDonald's Big Mac Special Sauce