IP (and the Founding Fathers)

What is Intellectual Property or IP? As defined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), IP is “creative works or ideas embodied in a form that can be shared or enable others to recreate, emulate, or manufacture them.” Preferably, of course, when licensed for profit. IP is categorized generally as either patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret. The USPTO grants patents and registers trademarks. The U.S. Copyright Office handles issuance of copyrights. Both offer on-line searching strategies for issued items and collections (and in-person access is still possible). In other words, both offices maintain readily accessible on-line Libraries, Libraries that are of another kind from community public Libraries, but yet also serve the public. Let’s just address patents, be…