Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets. Intellectual property law involves advising and assisting individuals and businesses on the development, use, and protection of intellectual property -- which includes ideas, artistic creations, engineering processes, scientific inventions, and more.
Pinconning is a city in Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,386 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Bay City, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is locally noted for production of cheese products, especially Pinconning cheese. M-13 passes directly through Pinconning, and I-75 is only three miles from the heart of the city. Pinconning Area Schools has one high school (Pinconning Area High School), a middle school that shares a building with the high school, and three elementary schools. The school district covers a large portion of northern Bay County, including Pinconning, Linwood, Garfield, Mt. Forest, and Bentley, and part of eastern Gladwin County, including Estey and Rhodes. The Pinconning Spartans high school softball team won state championships in 1989, 1993, and 2000. The volleyball team won a state championship in 1992. The Pinconning Boys Varsity Bowling Team won the State Championship in 2008, with Chad Skinner qualifying second individually while leading Pinconning to a regional title. A weekly newspaper, The Pinconning Journal, is published, and can be mailed around the country.