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Intellectual Property

QUIZ on TRADEMARKS

The answer is B. Sounds can be registered as trademarks in the United States. For example, the familiar three-tone chime of the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has been registered. Other well-known sound trademarks include the lion’s roar of MGM, the Harlem Globetrotter’s theme song, “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and the spoken words AT&T accompanied by music. However, […]
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

Can You Patent Your Invention?

Suppose you’ve created an innovative product — a “better mousetrap” — and now you want to have the invention patented to protect your rights. To qualify for a utility patent, which is the most common type granted, the invention must be:    Historical  Patents  and  Years  Granted 1790 1st U.S. patent for manufacturing potash, used in […]