Miami Legal Tips Blog

How Important is it to Protect Your Intellectual Property?

GavelDepending on the field your business is involved with, protecting your intellectual property could be crucial to how successful your business is. Remember that intellectual property is anything you’ve created that is unique and offers economic benefits. Included on this list could be inventions, designs, trade secrets, original works, and others. The right way to protect your intellectual property will depend on the type of property you have.

Do you need a patent?

For many companies, inventions are an essential part of their success. If your company’s developed a product or process that’s new or better than what was before, then you want the advantages you’ll get when you obtain a patent, which include stopping third parties from selling, using, or making your patented product for some number of years, depending on the specifics of the invention. Obtaining your patent can be a complicated process and you’ll need an intellectual property attorney to do so.

Does copyright law apply to your business?

If your company has authored original works, including photos, recordings, literary works, dramatic works, and music, then the first thing you’ll want to know is that you have copyright protection the moment that work was fixed in some type of tangible medium. At Gilbert & Smallman, we recommend that you use the copyright symbol to inform others that you know your work is copyrighted.

It’s not necessary to file for copyright but it could make it easier if you ever need to go after a company or individual for infringing on your copyright. Call us today for a free consultation and to learn the pros and cons of filing for copyright.

Get help trademarking your product

When you trademark the name of a product you sell, you’re effectively preventing anyone else from selling something else with the same name. This is essential to your business. The laws around trademarks protect your company from other companies who want consumers to confuse someone else’s product for yours. The first step in filing for your trademark is a complete trademark search. This is the most important step because it could prevent you from wasting time if a name you’re considering is already in use.

If you need assistance with a trademark search or application, or anything else related to intellectual property rights, then you need to work with Gilbert & Smallman. We look forward to helping you through this complicated and essential process.

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