| Course | BUS 225 Legal Environment of Business |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | Intellectual property plan |
| Length | About 1,020 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 225 Module 4
Protecting What Pinecrest Creates: An Intellectual Property Plan for a Small Outdoor Retailer
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
BUS 225: Legal Environment of Business
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Protecting What Pinecrest Creates: An Intellectual Property Plan for a Small Outdoor Retailer
Pinecrest has grown from reselling other brands to creating its own. It sells packs and apparel under the house name Switchback with a mountain-switchback logo, publishes original trail guides and product photographs on its website, and its founder has designed a tent-pole joint that locks without a shock cord. It also keeps a list of small overseas factories that meet its quality and labor standards, built over five years. A competitor recently copied several product photographs, and a new company near Boulder has begun selling bags under a similar name. This plan identifies Pinecrest's intellectual property, explains which legal tool protects each asset and sets priorities for the next year.
Four Kinds of Protection
Intellectual property law offers four main tools. Trademarks protect words, logos and other signs that identify the source of goods and prevent customer confusion. Copyright protects original works of authorship fixed in a tangible form, such as text and photographs. Patents protect new, useful and nonobvious inventions for a limited term in exchange for public disclosure. Trade secrets protect valuable business information kept confidential through reasonable measures. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office stresses that these tools protect different things and that one product can involve several of them at once (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, n.d.).
The Switchback Name and Logo
Pinecrest's rights in the Switchback name began when it used the mark in commerce, but those common law rights are limited to the areas where it has used the mark. Federal registration would give nationwide priority, a legal presumption of ownership and the right to use the registered symbol. Switchback is suggestive rather than descriptive for packs, since it hints at mountain trails without describing the product, which makes it registrable without proof of acquired distinctiveness. Pinecrest should commission a clearance search, then file applications for the word mark and the logo in the classes covering bags and apparel. The Boulder company's use should be documented now, including dates, so Pinecrest's counsel can assess who used the name first and whether customers are likely to be confused.
Photographs and Trail Guides
Copyright protects original expression, not facts; the Supreme Court held that a telephone directory's alphabetical listing of names lacked the minimal creativity copyright requires (Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., 1991). Pinecrest's photographs, with chosen lighting, composition and styling, and its trail guides, with original descriptions and advice, clearly qualify. Copyright arises automatically when the work is fixed, but a U.S. owner generally cannot file an infringement suit until the Copyright Office has registered or refused the work (Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, 2019). Pinecrest should register its photographs in groups and its guides as published, and send a takedown notice to the host of the site that copied its images.
The Tent-Pole Joint
The pole joint may qualify for a utility patent if it is new and would not have been obvious to a skilled designer given earlier joints. A patent lasts twenty years from filing, but the application must be filed before public disclosure or sale starts a limited grace period, and waiting risks losing rights. Pinecrest should have a patent attorney run a search, then file a provisional application, which secures a filing date and gives twelve months to file the full application. Until then, the design should not be shown at trade shows or sold. If the joint proves obvious over prior designs, Pinecrest can still keep manufacturing details confidential.
The Factory List
The factory list is valuable because competitors do not know it and building it took years. It is a trade secret only if Pinecrest takes reasonable steps to keep it secret. Federal law lets owners of trade secrets sue for misappropriation in federal court and, in extreme cases, seek civil seizure of stolen material (Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, 2016). Today the list sits in a shared spreadsheet that all 38 employees can open. Pinecrest should limit access to the buying team, mark the file confidential and require confidentiality agreements.
Assets and Protection at a Glance
The table matches each asset to the protection that fits it and the first action.
| Asset | Protection | First action |
|---|---|---|
| Switchback name and logo | Trademark | Clearance search, then federal applications |
| Product photographs | Copyright | Group registration; takedown notice |
| Trail guides | Copyright | Register as published works |
| Tent-pole joint | Patent, with trade secret backup | Search, then provisional application |
| Factory list | Trade secret | Restrict access; confidentiality agreements |
People and Agreements
Intellectual property is often lost through ownership gaps rather than theft. Freelance photographers own the copyright in their images unless a written agreement assigns it or the work qualifies as a work made for hire. Pinecrest's photographs from its first two years were taken by freelancers without written contracts, so it should obtain written assignments now. Employees who design products should sign invention assignment and confidentiality agreements, and departing buyers should be reminded in writing of their obligations.
Watching and Enforcing
Rights that are never enforced lose value. Trademark owners who tolerate similar names can weaken their marks over time, and copied images spread quickly once they appear on marketplaces. Pinecrest should set up a simple monitoring routine: a monthly search of online marketplaces and search engines for the Switchback name and for its product images, a watch on new trademark filings that resemble its marks, and a log of every incident with dates and screenshots. Most problems can be handled with a polite letter or a platform takedown request. Legal action should be reserved for deliberate copying that continues after notice, and the log will be essential evidence if it comes to that.
Conclusion
Pinecrest's creations are protected by different tools: trademarks for its brand, copyright for its images and writing, possibly a patent for its pole joint, and trade secret law for its factory list. Each depends on steps the company has not yet taken. In the next year it should file trademark applications, register its copyrights, file a provisional patent application, restrict access to the factory list and put written agreements in place.
References
Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, Pub. L. No. 114-153, 130 Stat. 376 (2016).
Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., 499 U.S. 340 (1991).
Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, 586 U.S. 296 (2019).
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (n.d.). Trademark, patent, or copyright? https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/trademark-patent-copyright
What the BUS 225 Module 4 instructions ask for
Intellectual property is one of the business law topics Aspen names for BUS 225, and this module usually asks students to plan protection for a company. With the precise Module 4 instructions provided in class, this example builds a plan for one retailer. List the company's actual assets before choosing tools. Explain what each form of protection covers and what it does not. Match assets to protection with reasons, and note where more than one applies. Cover timing, since filing dates and public disclosure matter for patents and registration matters for copyright suits. Address who owns work created by freelancers and employees. End with a prioritized list of actions and a way to watch for infringement.
How the BUS 225 Module 4 example is put together
The paper introduces Pinecrest's brand, photographs, trail guides, pole joint and factory list, along with a copier and a similar name near Boulder. It summarizes the four protections with guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The trademark section explains common law rights, why Switchback is suggestive and the value of federal registration. The copyright section applies Feist's originality standard and notes the registration requirement before suit. The patent section covers novelty, nonobviousness and a provisional filing. The trade secret section explains reasonable secrecy measures. A five-row table summarizes protection and first steps. Sections on freelance photo ownership, employee agreements and monthly monitoring precede a conclusion listing the year's actions.
Where the marks sit in the BUS 225 Module 4 rubric
IP plans earn marks for correct distinctions among the four protections, sound matching of assets, attention to timing and ownership, and practical steps. This example handles each asset separately and explains why its protection fits. Its references are two Supreme Court copyright cases, Feist and Fourth Estate, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 and a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office explainer, all in APA form. Spotting the freelance photographs as an ownership gap shows the kind of practical insight instructors reward. The table gives a quick summary, and the monitoring routine shows that protection requires enforcement as well as registration.
BUS 225 Module 4 help from the desk
A common error is using trademark and copyright interchangeably. Be precise about what each protects. Another is saying a company should patent everything; explain the requirements and the cost of public disclosure. Don't overlook trade secrets, which protect many valuable business assets without registration. Address who owns work made by freelancers. Include timing, especially before products are shown publicly. Avoid quoting government fees, which change; describe steps instead. Tie every recommendation to an asset the company actually has, and put the actions in the order the company should take them, starting with anything that has a deadline. If the line between a descriptive and a suggestive mark is unclear to you, a tutor can sort examples with you until the spectrum makes sense.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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BUS 225 Module 4 questions, answered
What does BUS 225 Module 4 usually ask for?
Aspen's BUS 225 includes intellectual property, so a plan identifying a business's IP and matching each asset to the right protection is typical. Follow your classroom prompt.
What is the difference between a trademark and a copyright?
A trademark protects a name or symbol that identifies the source of goods; a copyright protects original creative works such as text and photographs.
Is a customer or supplier list a trade secret?
It can be, if it has value because others do not know it and the owner takes reasonable steps to keep it confidential.
Where can I find a free BUS 225 Module 4 sample paper?
The whole intellectual property plan appears above, matching a retailer's brand, photos, guides, invention and factory list to the right protection in a summary table.
How long does a utility patent last?
Generally twenty years from the filing date of the application, subject to maintenance fees.