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At the beginning and usually at the heart of every new business is an idea. Around that core idea talent is assembled, technology and a brand are developed, investors are attracted, capital is deployed, business models are evolved, and products and services are created and sold. But good ideas are like designer purses once they become popular, knock-offs sprout like weeds. It is critical, therefore, to understand when and under what circumstances ideas and technology can be protected by intellectual property such as patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, and what limits apply to that protection. It is equally critical, and of profound interest to the entrepreneur, to recognize what must be done to secure ownership and then to safeguard important ideas and technology. Finally, in an era in which patent litigation is ubiquitous and patent 'trolling' has become a business model, the entrepreneur must understand what can be done to avoid or if avoidance isn't possible, to mitigate the potential impact of third-party IP.This course is designed to introduce business students to the subject of IP protection for ideas and technology. In the first few sessions, we will review the various types of IP patents, copyrights, trade secrets, trademarks, data and discuss the circumstances in which they are and are not well-adapted to protect core ideas, technology, information and brands. In the remaining sessions, we will consider the all-too-common mistakes, both of commission and omission, that can frustrate these objectives. In doing so, we will be joined by experienced business executives and investors in markets ranging from biosciences to software to sound engineering, and will discuss the legal and business shoals, and the practical contractual, cost and timing issues, that they have had to navigate. Finally, we will survey several recent decisions of the United States Supreme Court that have had a significant impact on intellectual property-dependent business models and competitive strategies, and discuss how both start-ups and established companies have begun to adapt.The format of this course will be lecture, first by the teaching faculty and then by the guest speakers, with engaged, real-time Q&A for both. Guest speakers will include executives, entrepreneurs and VCs, from large companies and small, who will share their experiences in the area of IP investment, management, deployment, strategy and risk. It is the objective of this course to help business students to think critically about when and how to invest in intellectual property protection, to recognize its limits, and to avoid the common mistakes that can frustrate such investments and undermine the value of the company.