As a small business owner, you likely have a million things on your to-do list. Hopefully one of those things is securing your intellectual property. The Lomnitzer Law team’s decades of experience advising small businesses has taught us that paying some attention to this critical task early on can help set you up for success, and may eliminate future headaches. We provide you with an intellectual property attorney you can trust.
Below are five things every small business owner here in South Florida or anywhere across the country can do to ensure their intellectual property is protected.
1. Develop your brand
If you are trying to launch a new product, service, or creative work you know that marketing your work is important. Nobody is going to buy it if they don’t know it exists! What you may not realize is the marketing you invest in may be just as critical as your creation itself in the IP world.
The look and feel of a product — its trade dress — can set you apart from others. So can your packaging, logo, and descriptions of what your product is and does. Making an effort to distinguish yourself from your competitors from the start is important if you want to get legal recognition of your intellectual property later on.
2. Secure your social media and web properties right away
Seeking patent, trademark, and copyright protection of your creations are as important as securing the social media accounts and web properties you will need to market your creation. Imagine putting in the work to obtain a trademark only to find out someone who was monitoring filings at the USPTO now owns the URL you need to launch and sell your product.
3. Get your creation into commerce
The quicker you can document the fact that someone is willing to pay you for your creation the better. Save the evidence of these early sales in case you later need to prove you were the first one in the marketplace.
4. Don’t let copycats keep it up
Some may say that imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it is best to ask infringers to cease and desist if you are in the business world. Intellectual property rights are not self-executing. You must be proactive about protecting and defending your creation and brand if you want to keep it for yourself.
5. Delegate
As a small business owner, you are forced to wear many different hats, but we know some of them fit better than others. If you need help securing and defending your intellectual property, delegate those tasks to the Lomnitzer Law team.
Our experienced attorneys can counsel you on legal matters, and take action on your behalf to secure your IP rights. This allows you to focus on the things you do best — creating, building, and running your business.
Powerful Representation For Your Creation
Lomnitzer Law excels at resolving the legal issues small business owners here in South Florida and across the country may not even realize they have, and we want to help you. Please contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with an intellectual property attorney.
