Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property
Guarding Information that Gives a Competitive Advantage
Your company probably has security systems in place to prevent theft of computers, machines and products, yet you may not be doing enough to safeguard your customer lists, new product designs and marketing strategies. High-tech firms and manufacturers are prime targets of intellectual property theft but many other types of companies can become victims. Businesses […]
Intellectual Property
Protect Trade Secrets From Insider Theft
Many companies are concerned about intellectual property being stolen by computer hackers and outsiders coming onto their premises. While these are certainly legitimate concerns, it’s generally more important to focus on insiders — your own staff members, former employees, on-site contractors and partners. Theft of trade secrets is often an inside job, as illustrated by […]
Intellectual Property
Seek Global Trademark Protection Under the Madrid Protocol
An international treaty called the Madrid Protocol makes it much easier for Americans to obtain international protection for their trademarks. It allows a trademark owner to seek registration in any of the participating countries by filing a single application, called an “international application.” The International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, which is located […]
Intellectual Property
Patents Versus Trade Secrets
Let’s say you or your company has come up with a blockbuster innovation and you’re planning to market it. But you want legal protection so your invention won’t be stolen. There are two primary ways to protect your potential moneymaker: A trade secret or a patent. Patent Standards Does your invention meet these four high standards […]
Intellectual Property
When Companies Share Intellectual Property for Mutual Benefit
The phrase “two heads are better than one” can apply to corporations and their intellectual property. When two or more companies agree to share their intellectual property for mutual benefit, the payback can be considerable. Not only can collaboration result in additional revenue, it can also create more intellectual property that can further benefit all […]
Intellectual Property
Don’t Let Trade Secrets Leave With Departing Employees
What precautions does your company take so that employees leaving their jobs don’t take your trade secrets to competitors? The courts are filled with cases of former employees stealing proprietary information from the companies they worked for. Before leaving their jobs, these former employees took software, files, customer lists and other proprietary information and either […]
Intellectual Property
Protecting Inventors’ Rights
Let’s say you figure out a way to build the proverbial better mousetrap. Now you plan to sell the item to the highest bidder. How do you protect the invention when you shop it around? There are different ways to secure your interests. First, if the invention potentially qualifies for a patent, you might have a provisional patent application (PPA) […]
Intellectual Property
Staking Your Claim Fast and First
Once your invention has been sufficiently perfected and tested, you may want to try and sell it to the highest bidder. Of course, to secure some protection against a rip-off, you can file a patent application and market your invention with a “patent pending” status. Other parties may be liable for patent infringement if the […]
Intellectual Property