Intellectual Property. 5 reasons why you need legal advice

Introduction

Intellectual Property (IP) is a person’s or business’s most valuable asset. It can be a source of income and help you make better decisions about using your resources. Still, most people don’t even know what IP is—and that’s okay! But if you’re starting to wonder whether you have any IP and want to protect yourself from future challenges or theft, then it’s time to talk with an attorney about the rights associated with those creations.

Intellectual Property: You don’t know what you own.

Intellectual Property refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and symbols. It also includes industrial designs, plant breeders’ rights and geographical indications.

To protect your IP (intellectual Property) from being copied by others or from becoming public knowledge before it’s ready for market, you need a lawyer who can help draw up appropriate contracts with third parties, such as licensees or contractors who will use or work on your invention/creation/design etcetera. The earlier in the development stage that this happens, the better chance of protecting it successfully. Once something has been published online or put into public circulation without protection, anyone can take it without permission!

Intellectual Property Law: You may not be able to protect what you own.

In the field of intellectual property law, there are many different types of IP. Each type has its own rules and requirements for protection. For example, some types of IP can be protected by filing a patent application, while others are protected by registering a trademark or copyright.

The following is an overview of five common types of intellectual Property:

1. Patents: These protect inventions and improvements to existing inventions. Patents give the patent owner the right to prevent others from making, using, selling, or importing the patented invention without permission.
2. Trademarks: These protect names, terms, symbols, designs, logos, or other devices used to identify and distinguish goods or services of one provider from others.
3. Copyrights: These protect original works of authorship, such as literature, music, drama, choreography, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, and architectural works.
4. Trade Secrets: These contain information that provides a business with a competitive edge and is kept confidential.
5. Industrial Designs: These protect a functional item’s aesthetic or ornamental aspects. They’re related to patents but are specifically about protecting a product’s appearance rather than how it works or is made. The appearance of the product, in particular the shape, texture, colour, materials used, contours and/or its ornamentation, can be protected.

Each type of intellectual property requires different registration processes and offers different protections. It’s essential to understand the different types of IP to ensure appropriate protection for your intellectual property.

Your IP could be at risk of being challenged or invalidated by others.

You need legal advice to protect your intellectual property.

You must get legal advice to protect and secure your intellectual property as soon as possible. A lawyer can advise on how best to protect your IP and ensure its validity in court. This means that if someone tries stealing or challenging your idea, there will be legal backing behind it when it comes!

You need to know how to protect your IP from being stolen by others.

The first thing you must know about intellectual property law is its complexity. You probably won’t be able to figure out your IP case without the help of an attorney, which brings us to our next point:

• You need to know how to protect your IP from being stolen by others — and understanding the laws isn’t enough! You need to see how those laws work in real-life situations so you can enforce them if necessary. This means knowing who has access to what information, when they had access, whether they were authorised by anyone else (like their employer) before accessing that information and whether there was any reason why they shouldn’t have been able to access it in the first place (such as a confidentiality agreement between parties).
• Suppose someone does steal your idea or product design from you without permission. In that case, some steps may need to be taken depending on what kind of theft has occurred: For example, if someone designs something similar but different enough not to be considered plagiarism, then there might not be much action required other than showing them where else these ideas already exist online/in public domain documents etcetera; whereas if someone steals an exact copy, then legal action may be necessary because copyright infringement laws apply here too!

You don’t know who owns what or who should own what to avoid conflicts down the road.

You don’t know who owns what or who should own what to avoid conflicts down the road.

You’re unsure about your intellectual property rights and don’t want to make any mistakes that could cost you money or time.

If you have any questions about intellectual Property, ask an attorney for help.

If you have any questions about intellectual Property, ask an attorney for help. You may be able to hire an attorney for a consultation or ask your lawyer to help you with a specific problem. For example, if someone infringes on your IP rights and the infringement is ongoing. It would be wise to retain counsel who can help resolve the situation promptly through litigation or negotiation.

If, instead, there is simply some general question about intellectual Property (e.g., what does trademark mean?), then retaining counsel would not be necessary because their services are optional now.

IP Tools

1. Google Patents – This is a search engine from Google that indexes patents and patent applications from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Deutsches Patent und Markenamt (DPMA), Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), and China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO).
2. USPTO: Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT) – Allows users to search the full text of US patents issued from 1976 to the present.
3. USPTO Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) – A database of U.S. trademarks that can be searched to find existing trademarks.
4. European Patent Office (EPO) Espacenet – Offers access to information about inventions and technical developments from the 19th century to today.
5. WIPO Patentscope – This database allows you to search 89 million patent documents, including 3.9 million published international patent applications (PCT).
6. UK Intellectual Property Office – You can search for information on patents, trade marks, designs and copyright in the UK.
7. Japan Patent Office (JPO) IPDL – Provides access to patent documents and legal status information from Japan.
8. Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) Database – A resource to search for Canadian patents and trademarks.
9. Trademarkia – A search engine for U.S. trademarks, logos, and brand information.
10. Password- A patent search tool that allows you to search and monitor patents worldwide across various industries.

Bottom Line

Intellectual property is a crucial area of business development and growth. Engaging a lawyer/attorney in this area is important as it is a fully legal matter. My goal is to shed light on the importance of intellectual property.

Who am I?

I am Dotun Adeoye, a Business Growth Strategist, Author and Professional Speaker.

I’ve built up my experience via serial entrepreneurship, consulting leadership roles in business growth, business development and product innovation in large companies worldwide in the last 30 years.

Today, I consult with businesses on how to sustainably grow their businesses, sustain infinite growth, and ensure business continuity irrespective of the business climate.

Hire Dotun Adeoye to Speak Virtually or In – Person at your company’s event to cover this or other topics. You can also get in touch via +44 203 097 1718 or dotun at dotunadeoye.com