Tag: intellectual property

FIVE IP CONSIDERATIONS STARTUPS OFTENTIMES OVERLOOK

When asked if they have a patent, many participants on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank say “yes”, demonstrating that businesses understand the value of filing a patent application early to protect their discoveries. When developing a company’s plan for preserving its intellectual property, however, a variety of solutions are available (IP). When it comes to building an IP strategy, five factors are frequently disregarded by businesses, particularly start-ups.

  1. Patents aren’t the only intellectual property asset that should be safeguarded early on: The early filing of at least one patent application is often a critical component of a startup’s IP strategy; however, the early protection of other kinds of IP may be useful for a firm to explore.

Trademarks: Early federal registration of a trademark at the United States Patent and Trademark Office can help avoid future disputes about first use and territorial rights, as well as potentially costly litigation. Furthermore, when possible, early registration of a trademark in a foreign jurisdiction might prevent squatters in a first-to-file jurisdiction, such as China, from registering a successful U.S. firm’s mark and then demanding payment from the business to transfer the mark. This type of action gives rise to a shadow sector in which effectively contesting a squatter’s registration of a mark can be a complex, time-consuming, and costly process. These potential hazards can be avoided by applying for trademark registrations in desirable jurisdictions as soon as possible.

Trade Secret: If a startup wants to keep a piece of information or technology as a trade secret, it must take quick steps to safeguard it. Putting adequate procedures/policies in place within and outside of your firm early enough to prevent unintended disclosure of the material is one of these steps. Trade secret protection is no longer practicable once the material is no longer secret. Trade secret protection, unlike other types of IP, is enforceable as long as the subject content is kept secret. As a result, trade secrets can be quite important, and preserving them should be planned as soon as feasible.

  1. You have a patent – now what?: Contrary to belief, a patent does not give the patent owner the right to practice the subject matter described in the patent. Rather, a patent gives the patent owner the right to prevent others from creating, selling, using, or importing the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, obtaining a patent does not guarantee the establishment of a profitable firm. While some inventors/founders can build and expand a firm based on technologies covered by one or more patents, many inventors are ill-equipped to turn a patent grant into a profitable startup.

A range of resources is available to assist innovators in developing a successful business plan. Business incubators and accelerators, for example, may provide resources (such as training, workspace, mentoring, connections, and so on) to a startup to help it expand.

There are also governmental/pseudo-governmental groups dedicated to assisting startups/businesses in achieving a specific aim. On a federal level, the United States Department of Commerce, through several programs such as the United States Commercial Service and SelectUSA, assists enterprises in either expanding outside of the United States or entering the United States market. On a local level, there are several state/regional agencies, such as the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI), the Maine International Trade Center, and the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, whose mission is to assist businesses in expanding into or growing in a specific state or region.

  1. Likely, filing in as many jurisdictions as possible isn’t the optimal strategy: Filing IP internationally may be a simple way for a firm with infinite resources to cover present and future activity; however, most startups have limited resources and must strategically limit their filings. A decent rule of thumb is to file for protection in the following sequence, from most important to least important:
  • jurisdictions where the startup is operating,
  • jurisdictions where the startup’s customers are located, and
  • jurisdictions where the startup’s competitors are operating.

While there may be value in getting patent protection in a jurisdiction where enforcement by the company is doubtful, a startup may be able to minimize desired filing jurisdictions by eliminating jurisdictions where enforcement is not possible.

In a similar vein, entrepreneurs frequently file Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications to obtain provisional protection in the Patent Cooperation Treaty’s 153 contracting states (PCT Contracting States). A PCT application has the advantage of giving the applicant additional time to decide where patent protection is desired before submitting to individual jurisdictions. However, if the company already knows it will be filing in a small number of countries/regions (e.g., two or three), the additional expenses of filing the PCT application are often not worth it, and filing directly in the desired countries/regions is likely a more cost-effective method.

  1. Take advantage of USPTO programs that are available: The USPTO’s initial action in response to a freshly submitted application could take two or more years. Add on the time spent arguing with an Examiner, the time it takes from filing to grant can easily exceed three years. Such a delay might be detrimental to a business that wants to show fast results to secure additional funding. Fortunately, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has several programs and methods that can be employed to expedite the patent award process.

Track 1 Prioritized Examination: The purpose of the Track 1 Prioritized Examination program is to complete an application in one year. This is far faster than the standard workflow at the USPTO. The program’s disadvantages include a relatively costly application fee, limitations on the number and type of claims that can be filed, and the stipulation that no extensions of time be granted during the application process. Combining a Track 1 Prioritized Examination request with a focused approach that directs the application’s claims to a specific, practical (albeit restricted) embodiment can be a very effective method for obtaining a lucrative patent grant in a short amount of time.

In-Person Interviews: A phone interview with the Examiner is usually held during the prosecution of a patent application to review pending rejections and come to a resolution concerning the claims. At the applicant’s request, these interviews may be done in person at the USPTO in Alexandria, Virginia. While having a face-to-face appointment with an Examiner, maybe demoing the invention for the Examiner, and having a more candid discussion than is generally held remotely, might dramatically enhance the results of the interview and result in a notice of permission rather than additional office action. When it’s tough to discuss an idea without a physical model or representation, this method can be quite useful.

  1. Broad does not always mean better: Patent law has long held the belief that claiming an invention as broadly as feasible prevents as many potential infringers as possible. In theory, this is a fine idea; nevertheless, for a startup with limited resources, it may not be the most efficient strategy. Instead, it might be more practical to concentrate the claims on a specific embodiment of the invention that is directly linked to a product/process that the startup is currently using or envisioning. By narrowing the claims in this way, an Examiner’s search and examination will be confined to art that is relevant to the claimed embodiment, rather than irrelevant art that could be interpreted as reading on unduly broad claims. As a result, a valuable patent with claims that are specific to the startup’s real activity or product may be granted more swiftly. Following continuation applications may be utilized to widen the claims’ reach to cover further embodiments, but at the very least, the startup will be able to prevent others from creating, selling, using, or importing a system/process that substantially resembles theirs. A patent that is focused on a specific activity or product of the firm and is issued relatively fast might be a great marketing tool for investors and customers.

A company can establish a comprehensive IP strategy that protects their important IP rights while avoiding potentially negative legal circumstances by taking a holistic approach to developing an IP strategy and examining the points listed above, among others, with the support of a seasoned practitioner.

Art business advice – Protect your Art Under IP Code

For the art world, the internet is similar to the American frontier: full of opportunity and promise, but also a place to be cautious. You can now share your art with a global audience, meet and acquire new collectors and fans, raise funds for your art projects, and make life-long friends with just a few clicks. However, with this convenience comes a slew of new risks and drawbacks, leaving artists exposed and vulnerable at times.

The biggest looming nightmare for many artists is copyright infringement. Art is your craft and your livelihood; it requires a personal investment of time, money, effort, and soul. It is also your intellectual property. Protecting your art should be a top priority. There are a few options to help you with this, and we’ve laid them out for you in a quick and easy guide.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR ART FROM COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

“Intellectual property is a property right that can be protected under federal and state law, including copyrightable works, ideas, discoveries, and inventions. The term intellectual property relates to intangible property such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.” US Legal,

“Copyright protection subsists, in accordance with this title, in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.”  United States Copyright Office.

In layman’s terms, intellectual property is your right to protect your original work, whereas copyright is established when an original work is physically created (not just conceptually). Unregistered work, on the other hand, can be difficult to prove as your own, which is why it is critical to keep digital or physical records. Consider how well you can demonstrate that you are the creator of the artwork in question if you ever need to take a case to court.

So, how can you legally protect your art from copyright infringement?

  1. Always sign your work with your name.

This is the first step in safeguarding your artwork against copyright infringement. Make it a habit to sign all your work, preferably with the year it was completed.

  1. Register Your Work

If you are a U.S. artist, it is strongly advised that you register your work with the Copyright Office of the United States Library of Congress. Even though copyright is automatically granted at the time of creation, registering the work ensures that you have adequate proof that the work is yours. In the event of a copyright infringement suit, it also allows you to demand more money. In the United States, the registration procedure is as follows:

  1. Navigate to the Library of Congress website and select the electronic Copyright Office (eCO). Completing the registration form and paying the required fee.
  2. After the registrar’s office has reviewed your application, you will be mailed an official certificate of registration. This serves as documented proof of your copyright, which will also be filed online as a public record.

After reading this article, we recommend that you check your country’s copyright laws. Although intellectual property laws are similar across the board, there maybe some nuances and differences to be aware of.

  1. Maintain Digital Records of Your Work

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially if someone claims to be the author of your work. Having a digital library of your artwork will save you a lot of time and trouble if you are sued for copyright infringement, as you will be able to present this record in court. The great thing about photographs is that their metadata frequently includes the date they were taken. A professional photographer can be used to ensure that two people have evidence to support any copyright infringement cases.

  1. Recognize the possible risks

Because you make a lot of art, it’s critical to concentrate your copyright protection efforts where they’ll be most effective. For example, if you create more abstract or conceptual art (which is more difficult to reproduce), your risk of copyright infringement will be significantly lower. However, if your pieces contain creatures or characters that could be borrowed or replicated, or if you create images that are very iconic or have high mass-market appeal, you should always protect them using the steps outlined above.

KEEPING YOUR ART SAFE ON YOUR WEBSITE

There’s no denying that posting your work online can be dangerous. Simultaneously, in today’s increasingly digital art world, online exposure is frequently critical to an artist’s success. While nothing is perfect, there are some precautions you can take to help protect your art on the internet.

  1. Convert Your Photographs to Flash

You may want to convert your images into a flash slideshow before posting them online. This prevents web users from simply copying and pasting the image. You can accomplish this by downloading special slideshow converters or consulting a web design expert.

  1. Only use small, low-resolution images for publication.

For most people, stealing a small, low-resolution image is simply not worth it. However, before you go resizing all your images to thumbnails, make sure you don’t save them over your high-resolution images. Once you save an image as small and low-resolution, you will never be able to convert it back to high resolution. Save the web-ready version as a separate file for everything you value.

To resize images, you can use almost any image-editing software on either Windows or Mac. The process is pretty much the same whether you’re using Photoshop or Paint. The “Resize” toolbar option is usually found under the “Edit” toolbar. Converting to a lower resolution can be more difficult.

  1. Consider Including Watermarks on Your Images

A watermark is a logo or name that is superimposed over an image. Watermarks identify you as the artist of your image and are extremely difficult to remove or change.

The copyright notice, best known as the C symbol (©), plus the year the work was published, or the abbreviation ‘Copr’, is the most used. This watermark should also include the year of completion as well as your name. It should look something like this:

PROTECTING YOUR ART ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

While you can keep track of the number of people visiting and viewing your works on your site (and there are some good measures to protect them from being copied), once you add your images to social media there is no knowing where they will end up. However, avoiding social media altogether can be a serious disadvantage too. So, how do you protect your image? Here are some tips!

  1. Read the Terms and Conditions.

Do you use Instagram to promote your artwork? What about other social media platforms? Recently, artist Richard Prince made $100,000 by selling a series of other people’s Instagram photos. Though this appears to be a blatant copyright infringement, the situation is in legal limbo. One thing is certain: if these images had been registered federally with copyright, they would have been protected. When you post your artwork to other platforms, make sure to read the terms and conditions to see what copyright protection your artwork has.

  1. Always include a watermark in your image.

A watermark, like a website, is one of the best tools for protecting your art on social media. Not only does a watermark make it clear to the viewer that your work is protected by copyright, but it will also help you in court because the other artist will be unable to claim “innocent infringement” if he or she uses your work (meaning it was copied unknowingly).

Put your watermark in a prominent place on the image. Don’t just slap it on the edge; you don’t want anyone cropping it out.

It is becoming increasingly important to protect your artwork from copyright infringement, especially in our digital age. These safeguards and practices, hopefully, will ensure that your intellectual property remains your own.