Articles Tagged with Copyrights

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AdobeStock_390212429-300x200Intellectual property theft costs businesses billions each year. If you believe that someone is misusing your patent, copyright, or trademark, you need to act quickly to protect your interests. The California intellectual property attorneys at Structure Law Group, LLP discuss how to respond to IP theft issues.

Types of intellectual property

Companies have legal protection over patented designs or processes, trademarks, and copyrights. Trade secrets are something else entirely. Theft of patents, trademarks, or copyrights can result in lawsuits against other companies or individuals.

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AdobeStock_427349372-300x147Here in San Jose, intellectual property (IP) is the most valuable asset many companies own. Individuals, too, have IP rights that must be protected. The San Jose intellectual property attorneys at Structure Law Group, LLP help businesses and individuals protect their intellectual property. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recognizes different tools that can be used to protect different types of IP. Keep reading to learn more about the four  distinct types of intellectual property that are recognized by law.

Patents

According to the USPTO, patents are an IP tool used to protect technical inventions. These technical inventions can be chemical compositions, mechanical processes, or machine designs. When a technical invention is protected with a patent, the patent holder may prevent others from using the invention in any way without their permission.

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AdobeStock_121073632-300x200Intellectual property, defined as “any product of the human intellect that the law protects from unauthorized use by others,” isn’t a modern concept. In fact, the United States Constitution, through the “Intellectual Property Clause,” protects the intellectual property rights of authors and inventors in the arts and sciences. It is from this clause that federal intellectual property law, including trademark, copyright, and patent protections, are derived.  A unique product of human intellect can be the basis of a copyright, trademark, or patent.

Categories of Intellectual Property

As is clear from the definition of intellectual property (“IP”), the law doesn’t protect all products of human intellect. Instead, federal and/or state laws protect the following types of intellectual property:

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Fotolia_106115248_Subscription_Monthly_M-2-300x237Intellectual property is a valuable asset for a business. When a company licenses its IP out to other businesses, it can gain a competitive advantage and also reap the benefits of a lucrative, passive revenue stream.

When dealing with IP, most business owners immediately think of patents.  Patents cover inventions including processes, machines, compositions of matter, designs, and plants.  However, patents are only one type of valuable IP.  There are other types of intellectual property that can be licensed out to increase your business’s revenue.  These include:

  • Trademarks, which protect company or product names, as well as corporate logos, slogans, and other promotional materials; and
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Palo Alto business owners are faced with heavy competition in the Silicon Valley, all of which are looking for the best practices, methods, and trade secrets. Some of a company’s most valuable assets can be found in your intellectual property. Each year intellectual property theft costs businesses billions of dollars. If you think your intellectual property might be at risk of being stolen or you can confirm it has been stolen, you need to act fast.

Different Types of Intellectual Property

In order to protect yourself from Intellectual Property theft, a business owner must first define what they need to protect. For example, if the business owners want to secure a method of a certain process, a formula specific to their company, or even lock down a logo and name to fight off competition, there will be different applicable forms of legal protection to consider and utilize. There are several forms of protection, some of them being:

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