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Course to Advise Nonprofits on Property Law

Intellectual property poses challenges for nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations today face both opportunities and challenges in areas related to property law - from museums obtaining federal trademark registrations for the names of their exhibits to community groups selecting an acronym for a domain name. Next month, attorney Julie Richardson will offer a course through the Duke University Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management that aims to provide an overview of the different areas of intellectual property to be considered by nonprofits, including trademarks, copyright and patents, with a special focus on issues associated with making one's way on the Web. Richardson, an attorney with a Raleigh intellectual property law firm, will teach the course on two Friday mornings, Nov. 3 and 10, at the Bishop's House on Duke's East Campus. Richardson said nonprofits need to be more aware of issues associated with intellectual property law. "Because they are not as sophisticated or can be under burdensome cost restraints, nonprofits may face greater legal exposure than a typical business," she said. On the other hand, nonprofits have some advantages. For example, copyright owners may be more willing to give them permission to use their materials, sometimes for free, as long as they get approval beforehand. "This whole area of law is changing," Richardson said. "For example, there is a new Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act that was passed by Congress late last year which makes a person liable to the owner of a trademark if that person has a bad-faith intent to profit from the sale of the domain name corresponding to the mark." Copyright protections for website designs, printed materials, photographs and visual designs also will be considered. Richardson will use as a model a New York museum that wisely produced a series of books and gift items tied to its "Sue" the dinosaur display. "It's important to know that these opportunities are there for you if you're interested in them," she said. Richardson also will discuss with the class recent case law and examples of patents such as the "single-click" patent, the "shopping cart" patent and other Internet-related patents. Richardson, who is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, said the course will help organizations do strategic planning related to their name, logos, designs and slogans. ---- The Duke Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management is also offering a number of other new short courses this spring. They include "Staff-Volunteer Relations: Not An Easy Marriage" with independent trainer and consultant Steve Jenks on Nov. 17; "Friendly Program Evaluation" with Jenks on Dec. 8; and "Globalization and North Carolina" with Sarah Rubin and Leah Totten, co-authors of the State of the South Series, on Nov. 8. For more information or to receive a course catalog, contact the Duke Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management at (919) 684-6259.