Impact

Heard on Campus: Megan Costello of technoLAWgical

Megan Costello (IST '08), founder of technoLAWgical, a Pennsylvania-based solo law practice, advises clients on cutting-edge issues involving cyberlaw, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, startups and Internet-related matters. She spoke on April 13 at the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), to kick off IST's Start-up Week. Credit: Emilee Spokus / Penn StateCreative Commons

"The thing with copyright that's really interesting is that you don't have to say any magic words or do anything magical to make this happen. Copyrights really do set in as soon as you put the pen to paper, as soon as you click the camera...and you have a physical thing to show for your artistic expression. However, even though you have a common law right in copyright it's very important to think about the things you're creating and think about whether you'd like to go for federal registration...

"A good trademark really is something that evokes thoughts about the source of the good or service. So if you're walking down the street and you're a big coffee fan (like me, I'm obsessed with coffee) and you see the Starbucks logo, you can tell, 'I'm going to get a good cup of coffee and I'm going to be happy about it when I come in there.'

"That's how trademarks are supposed to function -- you're seeing the mark, your're reading the mark... It's really something that triggers the customer's mind into thinking, 'Oh I've associated this with a certain type of quality.' And people fight very hard in court to make sure others don't free ride off of this when they've built up this brand, built up this product and they don't want somebody else to jump in on that."

--Megan Costello, a 2008 College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) graduate and founder of technoLAWgical, a Pennsylvania-based solo law practice. With her unique background in technology, cybersecurity and the law, Costello advises clients on cutting-edge issues involving cyberlaw, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, start-ups and Internet-related matters. She regularly speaks and publishes regarding these topics, including the “technoLAWgical” blog, which discusses a variety of “geek-culture” subjects.

Costello received a J.D. degree and a Franklin Pierce Intellectual Property Certificate from the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly, the Franklin Pierce Law Center). She received a B.S., magna cum laude, from Penn State in IST with minors in security and risk analysis and English. She also received a PSU Web Professional Certificate and several awards for her web design projects, and is also NSTISSI-4011 INFOSEC Certified.

Costello spoke on Monday (April 13), kicking off IST's Startup Week, a week-long celebration showcasing talented young entrepreneurs from around the country, including alumni from the College of IST and Penn State. Tune in to live streaming of events at http://startupweek.weebly.com/live-streams.html.

Last Updated April 14, 2015