IP Maps (Fisher)

Maps of Intellectual Property

William Fisher

version 8.1

last updated: December 4, 2017

This page provides access to the mindmaps I employ in conjunction with my courses on intellectual property law.

Most of the maps are available in five formats:

iThoughts -- a proprietary program available from toketaWare
Freemind -- an open-source program available through SourceForge
XMind -- another mapping tool available for free (in a basic version)
Mindmanager -- an expensive but highly flexible propriertary application
Html5 (currently in beta) -- a version that will open automatically in most modern browsers

The principal sets of legal rules in the main fields of IP law are summarized in the first four maps. The fifth summarizes the main theories used by scholars to justify, criticize, or suggest modifications of those sets of legal rules. The last map, developed in collaboration with Prof. Felix Oberholze-Gee of Harvard Business School, presents an approach to strategic management of intellectual-property rights.

	iThoughts	Freemind	Xmind	Mindmanager	Html5
Copyright Law	Copyright.itmz	Copyright.mm	Copyright.xmind	Copyright.mmap	Copyright.html
Patent Law	Patent.itmz	Patent.mm	Patent.xmind	Patent.mmap	Patent.html
Trademark Law	Trademark.itmz	Trademark.mm	Trademark.xmind	Trademark.mmap	Trademark.html
Trade Secrets	Trade_Secrets.itmz	Trade_Secrets.mm	Trade_Secrets.xmind	Trade_Secrets.mmap	Trade_Secrets.html
IP Theory	IPTheories.itmz	IPTheories.mm	IPTheories.xmind	IPTheories.mmap	IPTheories.html
Business Strategy	IPStrategy.itmz	IPStrategy.mm	IPStrategy.xmind	IPStrategy.mmap	IPStrategy.html

How to use one of these maps:

If you do not already have the relevant software, you must first download the application in question, using the links set forth at the top of this page.
Next, download a copy of the map in which you are interested, and open it using the application.
To expand and contract the branches of the map, click on the "+" and "-" buttons.
The icons that look like arrows, footprints, or sections of chain (depending on which version you use) provide links to other documents. Some of those documents consist of statutes, treaties, or judicial opinions; others are slide presentations that examine cases or doctrines in more detail. Once you have explored one of those collateral documents to your satisfaction, close the browser window to return to the main map.

The maps and all of the collateral slide presentations are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Sharealike 2.5 License, the terms of which are available here.

Caution: These maps do not aspire to be treatises; they are not comprehensive, and some of the interpretations they offer of current legal doctrine are controversial. Rather, they are designed to be used as teaching aids. To that end, they attempt to describe and organize the main rules and arguments in each field, paying particular attention to significant recent developments and to especially controversial or unstable issues.

If you make use of these materials and find flaws in them -- errors that need to be corrected, gaps that need to be filled, or references to rules that have been superseded -- I would be grateful if you would let me know. It's best to send me such suggestions via email at tfisher@law.harvard.edu. Please use the words "IP Maps" in the subject line.