Intellectual property is an important aspect of business and a vital part of Janathan L. Allen, APC’s legal services, but many businesses still don’t consider this factor as much as they should. In fact, many business owners do not realize that this should be such an important concern, or think that it doesn’t affect them because of the type of business they’re in. Whatever sort of business you run, intellectual property should be a concern. Here are five facts about this issue that you should consider if you haven’t already.
1. Just what is Intellectual Property?
In a nutshell, it is any unique thing you and/or your business have created. It can fall into one (or more) of several categories:
- A brand
- A logo
- A musical composition
- A piece of recorded film
- A piece of visual/graphic/artistic work (e.g. photography, illustrations, etc.)
- A piece of written work (e.g. brochure, website content, product/package description, etc.)
- Computer software
- Inventions
- New products
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The appearance/design of a product
2. Why Should I Protect the Property Rights of My Business?
Simply put, protecting your intellectual property with the proper legal services ensures that you can stop others from using what you’ve created, and gives you a legal right to charge others who have wrongfully used that creation for their own benefit. But the type of protection you need depends on the type of property.
3. How Do You Protect an Idea?
Unfortunately, if your unique creation hasn’t passed the idea phase yet, then it isn’t a unique creation yet. It’s still an abstract concept, and there’s no stopping someone else from having or stealing the same idea/concept and making it their own. If you have an idea for a book, for example, it isn’t a piece of intellectual property that you can legally protect unless you have started writing the words. That piece of written work can be protected.
4. Who owns It?
As long as you and/or your business have created it, you and/or your business can protect it. This is something that Janathan L. Allen, APC’s legal services can help with.
5. What if an Employee or Contractor has Created This Work for Me/My Business?
In the case that an employee or independent contractor hired for the task has created a unique piece of work upon your request, it is important to clarify where the intellectual property ownership will ultimately lie. This should be clarified before the work commences in order to avoid any sticky situations.
For more information on protecting your intellectual property, please contact us at 866-631-3470 and setup a complimentary, initial consultation with one of our legal professionals.
