Intellectual property includes more than just patents and trademarks. Depending on the type of business, copyrights and trade secrets, as well as confidential information, also may be important components of an intellectual property protection strategy. These other forms of intellectual property may be important to consider protecting at different stages including, but not limited to, at the formation of the business, hiring of employees, entering into agreements with third parties, in product development, as well as in marketing.
A key theme for these other forms of intellectual property protection is that clearance and early evaluation is critical to minimize likelihood of intellectual property violations. Early clearance and evaluation also provides an opportunity to evaluate for affirmative protection and consideration of best practices for maintaining the intellectual property for the business. There also can be ownership issues, such as with copyrights for photographs. If a business contracts with a third party to take photographs, such as for a website or a catalog, it is critical to specify who owns the copyrights for those photographs.
The cost of consulting an attorney to develop or evaluate agreements concerning intellectual property can be minimal in comparison to the costs to pursue a claim for violation of your intellectual property rights, or learning that you did not adequately protect your intellectual property rights through the agreements. Similarly, finding that someone has violated your copyright but not having protected the copyright through a federal copyright registration can be detrimental to a business. Kirby Drake Law is here to help you get that knowledge and feel empowered to protect your intellectual property (IP). No project is too small, and no question is too insignificant when it comes to protection of your IP.
Want to learn more? Check out these presentations and contact Kirby Drake Law to discuss your other intellectual property needs and next steps:
- https://www.slideshare.net/KirbyDrake/trade-secrets-and-patents-the-yin-and-yang-of-ip-law
- https://www.slideshare.net/KirbyDrake/ip-traps-to-avoid-in-contracts
- https://www.slideshare.net/KirbyDrake/protecting-trade-secrets-in-the-current-economy-238668314
- https://www.slideshare.net/KirbyDrake/intellectual-property-considerations-from-bench-to-market