Safeguarding Intellectual Property
There is no better way of defending against intellectual property infringement than by preparing your organization in advance. Following are some steps we believe it is important for every firm to take in order to properly protect themselves. Its important that you find qualified legal counsel to help you with this and ensure you know all the details.
- Inventory your intellectual property assets. Do you know all the real and intangible items that may be considered intellectual property?
- Verify that all the IP related items you believe you have ownership of are in fact your property.
- Ensure that any proprietary information is only disclosed to appropriate parties and have confidentiality agreements in place with employees, vendors, etc. as needed.
- Check to make sure all the assets you discovered are properly registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Don’t forget names and marks, creative works, inventions, etc.
- Anyone who works for the business should be under a work for hire agreement to ensure the rights to created works and ideas accrue to the business.
- Only allow others to use protected works with signed agreements. This shows they recognize who has ownership of the property.
This is only a partial list to help you protect yourself against intellectual property infringement. If you feel someone has infringed on your intellectual property rights we can help you with the intellectual property infringement investigation. If you need the help of an attorney to assist you with taking other steps to protect your IP, we can refer you to an expert.
Diversified Risk Management, Inc. understands the sensitive legal issues involved in handling an Intellectual Property situation that could potentially result in some form of litigation, intelligent information is vital and necessary. Our proven techniques and services enable employers who operate globally to reduce liability restore productivity and improve profits. We help employers seek solutions to Intellectual Property theft.