One other thing...

Be careful of some of the advice you get here. Suffice it say, much of the "advice" you have received is/was incorrect. Folks tend to over-simplify issues and moreover, gloss over the details. The fact is, the devil is in the details.

Your legal rights are nothing to screw around with. You can be right, and still lose. You can be wrong and still win. Somebody in this thread talked about absolutes. I am here to tell you there are no absolutes.

Finally, I am not claiming that I have all the answers either. I am just a 1L with a B average in the top 3rd of his class...< bg >.. More than likely, I am a bit more informed than some others that frequent this forum. IP is of interest to me. One of the reasons I decided to go to law school was to leverage my technology background. Having the first year almost done, I am amazed at what I did not know - what I thought to be true. The world of law is interesting. It is uncertain and ever-changing. At the same time, there are fundamental principles that have been around for 100's and even 1000's of years. A lot of the time, common sense dictates. I am amazed at how folks complicate legal issues by not using common sense. That is the primary complaint amongst law professors. They always ask the question of why law students decide to leave their common sense at the door before attending law school.

Best of luck!!