One of the key points of our class is that trademarks and other forms of IP are key business assets, not merely legal rights. The point is made well in an article by Ann Meyer entitled "Selling Intellectual Property" in the Chicago Tribune on February 2, 2008. A copy of the article is available here. The online article omits the punch line, however, which was included in the print edition:
"To fetch top dollar, intellectual property needs protection through a trademark, patent or copyright. And you have to be willing to enforce it if someone infringes on your rights."