Book excerpt: A company’s most valuable assets may not be physical. This book shows how to protect them without fences or security guards!You can’t touch it or feel it. Sometimes you can’t even see it. Yet, intellectual property continues to soar in value, comprising an increasingly greater portion of a typical company’s assets. In the age of instant global communication, understanding what intellectual property is, how to protect it, and how to enhance its value are prerequisites for corporate survival.Enter attorney Deborah E. Bouchoux and her informative book, Protecting Your Company’s Intellectual Property. Packed with fascinating and illuminating examples, this book is a succinct, yet comprehensive discussion of the four key areas of intellectual property: trademarks,copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. In addition to defining these areas (for instance, did you know that customer lists and marketing plans are protectable trade secrets?), the book offers practical tools for protecting intellectual property, including:Trademark and copyright application formsSample employment agreementsAn Internet usage policyTips on preventing unauthorized dissemination of information via the WebA guide for conducting an IP auditAnd much, much more.