If your business has developed a new product or formulated a new business idea, you might be wondering what you should do to protect that intellectual property. Protecting your intellectual property can protect your business from unfair competition and copycats. For such reasons, our Seattle intellectual property attorneys explain how companies can protect their intellectual property.
Tips to Protect Your Intellectual Property
Protect Your Property Early. Businesses should protect their intellectual property at an early stage. As soon as you start implementing a business or a product idea, you should obtain state or federal licenses or secure your product’s production. You should identify which products are protectable by trademark, copyright, patent, or trade secret.
Get an Experienced Business Law Attorney. You should hire an experienced business lawyer who can help you determine whether anyone else already has exclusive legal rights to the brand names of products you want to develop. Your attorney will need to search through the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) or the U.S. Copyright Office.
Create a Strong Member Agreement: Business owners should create a member agreement that states that all intellectual property developed by members, shareholders, etc. belongs solely to the company. The agreement should also state that the members who create any intellectual property will execute all the documents necessary to protect the company’s rights. Employees and independent contractors should also sign a non-disclosure agreement and non-competition agreement to ensure that your intellectual property remains confidential.
Seattle Intellectual Property Litigation Attorneys
Protecting intellectual property isn’t simple, which is why it is essential to have an experienced attorney on your side. It can be costly and complicated to deal with intellectual property litigation down the line. If you need help protecting your intellectual property, our team at Northwest Business Law LLC is here to help you. We are here to use our extensive legal knowledge and resources to help your business protect what makes it unique.
Contact our Seattle intellectual property attorneys today at (206) 565-0090 to schedule a consultation!