Abstract:     Have you come up with a unique invention and wondered how to prevent a competitor from exploiting it? Are you concerned about others pirating your brand identity? In your work, are you protecting your trade secrets in a way that prevents others from merely "walking off" with the fruits of your long-term developments? What about protecting the creative expressions in your advertising?

Judie Dziezak presents an overview that addresses these concerns. The presentation covers the various forms of intellectual property -- i.e., patents, trade secrets, trademarks, and copyrights.

Beginning with patents and trade secrets, the presentation highlights the differences between each, why one may be more desirable over the other, and what criteria are needed for each. On trademarks, the presentation covers what subject matter is protectable as a trademark, what rights are conferred by trademarks, how trademark rights are obtained, and how those rights may be used to prevent confusion in the marketplace as to the source of your goods or services. Finally, the presentation touches on copyrights, including what they are, what subject matter is protectable with a copyright, and how to obtain a copyright.

Biography:     Judie Dziezak is an intellectual property law attorney with Wallenstein & Wagner, Ltd. (Chicago, Illinois) practicing in the areas of patent, trade secret, trademark, copyright, and licensing law. Her practice includes prosecution, litigation, and counseling and extends to the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, biochemical, consumer products, and e-commerce technologies. She also practices in the area of food law.

She received her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, Chicago, in 1994. She holds Bachelor's Degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Marian College in Indianapolis, Indiana and a Master's Degree in Food Science from Purdue University. She is licensed to practice before the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She is also registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Prior to practicing law, Ms. Dziezak was no stranger to research and development, as she has worked in various R&D and technical positions. For five years, she worked as a chemist with Morton Chemical Company and as a food scientist with The Quaker Oats Company.

She was an associate editor with Food Technology magazine, where for the next six years, she authored more than 65 articles on a host of topics ranging from biotechnology, microencapsulation, laboratory instrumentation, and analytical methods to technologies such as microscopy, supercritical processing, extrusion, and ultrafiltration. As a result of her work, Ms. Dziezak was invited by Academic Press, Ltd. to write two articles for its Encyclopaedia of Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition, published in 1994, which she recently updated for the 2003 edition. By invitation, she has also participated as a speaker in the Microstructure Symposium, sponsored by the Midwest Electron Microscopists Society, Inc.

Ms. Dziezak has been a member of ACS since 1974. She is a professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, Chicago Intellectual Property Law Association, and the American Intellectual Property Law Association (Chemical Practice Committee).