intellectual-property
How can one protect a teaching method?
<p>I've created a new teaching method.</p>

<p>My research, back to 1922, has not found any other instance of it in history.</p>

<p>Yes, there are elements, names, that could be protected but of course that will not protect the method.</p>

<p>My method does not involve math but I'll use Common Core mathematics as a similar situation. Does someone own the common core teaching method? </p>

<p>A particular text or video could be copyrighted, and that would mean that other texts could not be directly based on the copyrighted text. But copyright would not protect the ideas and concepts, nor the teaching methods. </p>

<p>One can trademark the name of the method, so that others could not use it in advertising their own versions.  One can create and administer a certification, so that only those going though "authorized" training can get the certificate. If third parties adopt and expect that certificate, it will tend to lock in the version of the training tied to the certificate.  SCRUM, inc does something of the sort.</p>

<p>I suppose that if it were adult instruction one could make everyone involved sign an NDA, and treat the methods as trade secrets. But that would be cumbersome, and perhaps offsetting to potential clients. And if a trade secret get out, it loses protection.</p>

<p>I don't know if process patent protection could be applied to a teaching method -- I have never heard of it being done.</p>

<p>Most ideas about improved teaching methods might be found to be old, or abstract. However, there certainly have been patents on teaching methods. <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US6375466B1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Method for teaching economics, management and accounting US 6375466</a> is one example. <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US6971881B2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Interactive method and system for teaching decision making
 US6971881</a> is another. Anton Scalia humorously (he thought) asked in oral arguments if he could patent a method of keeping students awake in a constitutional law class. What he and the courtroom laughter missed was this would only be a <em>preamble</em> of a patent claim. The preamble of a method claim only states the result not the means for getting to the result. What would the steps be? If it is talking loudly or making jokes every 5.5 minutes, I do not think you would get a patent. If it involved electrification of the student's desk, it might well get a patent.</p>

<p>Note - stackexchange has a site called <a href="https://patents.stackexchange.com/">Ask Patents</a> where one can often get better answers to patent questions than on law.</p>
