How to Protect Your Intellectual Property
So, you’ve come up with a great name or logo for your new company and you are really pleased with it. You start to launch your company and roll out all of your new marketing campaigns and pass around lots of literature and reading materials with your branding on it. All going ok so far, right?
Well, what if you happen to find out that another company has taken your name or logo idea and used it for themselves. This could be harmful to your business as it will be very confusing for customers – they might think that your two companies are the same business! Not only that, though, but this is theft of intellectual property. Anything that you think up of for your company – whether the business’s name, a new recipe, or a part of your whole branding – is your intellectual property and no one else should use it.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can protect this kind of property from all the cunning thieves out there. Here’s what you need to do.
Take Out A Patent
First of all, you need to make sure that you correctly protect every single piece of intellectual property that you or your business creates. The best way to do this is by taking out a patent. You will need a single patent for every piece of intellectual property. Before you do file for a patent, you will be able to search the whole database to make sure that no one has patented a similar product or item before you.
Put Out Some Feelers
It’s also a good idea to continually check the business world to make sure you don’t see any of your ideas or branding popping up elsewhere. Sometimes, it can take years for a case of intellectual property theft to be spotted, but it’s always best to try and spot them as soon as possible so that you can stop someone using it. Don’t have time for this? That’s alright, you can always use the DMCA takedown service so that this task doesn’t take up too much of your precious time. This company will keep an eye on your brandings, designs, logos, etc t ensure no one else is using them!
Invest In Your Intellectual Property
In order to protect your intellectual property as best you can, you are going to need to invest quite a bit of money into it. I’ve already mentioned hiring a service to keep an eye on your property, but there are some other people it’s worth hiring as well. For instance, you should find an attorney who is an expert in property law. That way, if you ever need to take another business to court for intellectual property theft, you will have someone on hand who can help you win your case.
Finding out that your intellectual property has been stolen is no laughing matter – make sure you use these tips wisely so that everything you create is protected as best it can be!
Providing a daily digital source for motivation and inspiration for the perfect work/life balance.
Responses