A Quick Guide to Intellectual Property Protection
As a small business with intellectual property, you need to protect yourself and your business. Whether your intellectual property is a poem, recipe, invention, or name, you own it because you thought of it. Protecting this property is of the utmost importance because not doing so can cause you to lose out on money, your business, and other assets. If you have intellectual property, you need to protect, you will have to acquire the services of Utah business attorneys. If you are in search of business lawyers in Provo, UT, contact the staff at Howard Lewis & Petersen to schedule a consultation today.
What is Intellectual Property?
Many things can be considered intellectual property. Intellectual property is simply the expression of an idea. Whether the expression of that idea is something you have made up or have created, it is considered intellectual property. Things such as art design, dessert recipes, and even funny inventions are all forms of intellectual property. Intellectual property can be protected in the form of copyright, trademark, or patent. To ensure your property is protected and your application to protect it is successful, it can be beneficial to hire competent and effective business attorneys in Provo UT.
Copyrights
The copyright gives the beholder the right to do whatever they like with the product. The copyright is typically held by the creator of the intellectual product; however, the copyright holder can authorize to use it at their discretion.
Books, articles, and other forms of literary art can be protected by copyright. Other forms of art, such as music, beats, plays, movies, comic book characters, paintings, photos, and videos, can be copyrighted as well. Things such as architecture can even be protected by copyright. In order for intellectual art and property to be protected by copyright, the work has to be original. This means that your intellectual property or idea, cannot already exist elsewhere, and must also be original enough to be considered something new and different. If you have created something new, original, and/or different, you should consider copyrighting it with the help of Provo business lawyers.
Copyright can help protect your work, by making you the sole authority on whether your intellectual property can be distributed, sold, performed, or used in profit forming way. To apply for copyright protection on a federal level, you will need to go through the U.S Copyright Office to do so. Acquiring the assistance of Provo business attorneys to help.
Trademarks
Trademarking will protect phrases, words, and symbols. Trademarking can also protect designs, as any definitive and unique markings that definitely represent your brand or products. You will know something is trademarked when you see TM, SM, or this symbol (®) on a product.
Trademarks protect your intellectual property on a larger scale. Trademarks will protect your brand, products, logos, fonts, color creations, sounds, and, comic book characters, and other intellectual things on a worldwide scale. This can prevent competitors from infringing upon your business or copying your work. Violators of your rights can be penalized more severely than they would have been with simple copyright. Find Utah business lawyers that can help you with this process.
Trademarking can be a lengthy and difficult process. This is why it is important to find business lawyers in Provo UT, you can trust and understands the process in depth. The lawyers at Howard Lewis & Peterson can help you, just as they have helped many others, achieve trademark status.
Patent
A patent is typically used in the pharmaceutical business. However, patents can be used for many other creations. Utility patents, plant patents, and design patents are often used as well. A patent is a form of protection that prevents others from remaking or selling an invention for a finite amount of time. This is done in exchange for allowing the Trademark or Patent Office access to the details of your invention.
If you have more questions or a better understanding of how you can protect your intellectual property, it can be beneficial to consult with a professional who has studied this field of law. If you are in search of Provo business lawyers, contact the staff at Howard Lewis & Petersen for a consultation and legal assistance today.
