4. Intellectual Property.

Charlie has 'invented' a computer 'app' that composes essays, memoranda and terms papers. Students operate the app by entering a description of the subject for the term paper, along with a proposed length. Using various algorithms and artificial intelligence, the app scours the Internet to gather and prioritize various relevant information from which it 'writes' into a draft paper.

Charlie spent most of his time in college studying computer science and has no background in business, business law or intellectual property, but he is aware that you excelled in an introductory law course at the Martin School and hopes you can offer some free advice. He fears that if he distributes the software by download or DVD the software will be unlawfully copied or 'pirated.' So, he is thinking about the possibility of storing the software in the 'cloud' and permitting it to be used only by 'subscribers' who pay a monthly 'subscription fee' to use it.

Thinking that Charlie is onto something really big and hoping that his gratitude for your assistance might cause Charlie to offer you a few shares in his company, you decide to outline the various protections afforded by American law of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. You then connect these protections with the problems and opportunities that you think may arise from the marketing of Charlie's software