Whenever you create or build something new and useful to the public, it gets a lot of exposure and publicity. But sometimes not having your creations patented might cause lots of problems along the way. Losing your assets is actually a possibility. So, you need to have your assets well-protected with intellectual property rights.
What Is Intellectual Property?
It is the rights given to you over something you have created or built; it could be something tangible or intangible (e.g., a software program). You would be considered the sole creator and given the full rights over your asset, deciding what to do with what you’ve built. They normally come in four different forms. The first form is the patents that are property rights over the creation, meaning that you can prevent people from using it. The second one is the copyrights that protect your music, graphic designs, books, artistic works, and more from being stolen. Trade secrets are the third form. They simply mean the protection over a secret process, formula, or algorithm that would help a company or business succeed greatly. And lastly trademarks, which could be symbols, phrases, or just one word. You get complete protection and ownership over them all.
How to Get It?
You need to start applying for the appropriate type of intellectual property. When you have a slogan or a symbol that you want to protect against being stolen or being used by another person or company, then hiring a trademark attorney can help you with that. They can advise you if your slogan or symbol is suitable for registration or not. They basically search and make sure no one has ever thought about or is currently already using what you just created.
Why Is It Important?
It’s undoubtedly crucial since it can protect your creations from being used without your permission; you can fairly charge anyone who wants to use your own creations. Also, it gives you control over whoever stole it or used it behind your back by censoring everything. And you can sue whoever uses it; any infringement cases would be dealt with accordingly. For example, it stops any accusations of plagiarism by checking the date when you applied for the IP on the book, proving that you are the original creator.
How to Prevent Constant Infringement
One of the most common ways to do this is by sending in a Cease and Desist letter or email; this notifies whoever is using your stuff without permission. Then they would stop using it at all to avoid any legal repercussions; this is great for you because it minimizes the visits to the court for IP breach cases.
Having intellectual property over your assets means no one can ever come out and say this is their idea; also, there won’t be anyone stealing the idea entirely. If anyone is caught doing that, they would get arrested and would serve some time in prison. Think about all the hassle you’d save if you protect your assets within the confines of the law; it will keep your innovations safe and would give you the chance to create more.
