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Nowhere is the adage, “to think is to create,” more
apparent than in the design of an integrated intellectual
property portfolio of, among other things, patents, trademarks,
copyright, trade-secrets, industrial design and commercialization
strategies. The value of your portfolio is directly proportional
to its ability to provide you with appropriate business tools
that align and support your business strategies. Our role
is to work collaboratively with you to help capture your ideas
and transform them into valuable intellectual capital.
Some of the business tools available to
protect your intellectual property include:
- Patents provide you with a government sanctioned monopoly
to market, sell, and license your technology. Patents are
often the most valuable asset in an intellectual property
portfolio and as such there is an important advantage to
having the drafting, prosecution, licensing and litigation
dealt with in a manner consistent with your business practices
and objectives.
- Trademarks assist you in distinguishing your wares and
services from those of your competitors. Programs such as
trademark ‘watch services’ are designed to put you in a
position to be able to address potentially conflicting third
party marks before they register.
- Copyright registration protects, among other things, your
creative literary, musical and software design works.
- Trade-secrets can be an important compliment / alternative
to patent protection. Trade secrecy can be used to preserve
rights prior to patenting, to protect information that cannot
be patented, and to act as an alternative to patent protection
when enforcement of a patent would be impracticable or unnecessary.
The law will protect a very broad range of trade-secrets
from misappropriation. However, the owner of a secret must
take active steps to protect its secrecy.
- Due Diligence in respect of intellectual property is essential
if you are looking into investing, merging with or purchasing
another party’s assets or if your assets are being looked
at. Being proactive by protecting yourself from costly,
if not irreparable harm is the only option that makes sense
in business. Being proactive can also draw the opportunities
for business partnering that makes sense.
- Contracts are agreements that exist in a variety of forms,
which are used to formalize your business deals, allocate
and manage risk, prescribe the course of events, protect
intellectual assets and to give you recourse should you
be required to defend your intellectual property rights.
- Dispute Resolution, whether that be filing a motion requesting
an injunction or filing suit against another party, litigation
should be regarded as a strategic tool given the time and
costs that can accrue. A number of alternatives to litigation
are available including arbitration and mediation, and have
been found to be practical and cost effective alternatives
to litigating.
- Industrial Design provides you with the ability to prevent
others from making, importing, offering for sale or renting
any article having a design that is the same or not differing
substantially from your registered design.
Familiarize yourself with our services, and then feel free to contact us for more information.
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