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Your business’s intellectual property is an essential asset and should be protected. Your intellectual property includes any products, designs, ideas, or discoveries made. It also refers to all aspects of your business such as your name, domain, branding, and logo. There are a few different types of intellectual property protection and these include copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret. Even if you’re just starting out you should register your business. No company is too insignificant to not be at risk of theft and fraud. Here are five ways to ensure your business is protected.
Register your brand
When you set up a company you need to register your business, product, and domain name. These all make up a part of your brand. You can easily register your business and product online according to your state, but the types of paperwork may vary slightly. Registering your domain is fairly straightforward. Here’s how to register your domain name. Once officially registered, you can rest assured you can operate legally and securely.
Understand the different types of IP protection
There are different types of intellectual property rights and it’s important to know which is suitable for your situation. A patent, for instance, is used to protect a particular product you’ve invented. Trademarks are more for protecting your branding, such as logos and slogans. Copyright protects any creative work by you or your business, for example, music or media production. Trade secret refers to confidential information you don’t want to be disclosed.
Seek legal advice
Seek legal advice to find out which type of IP protection you need and how to apply. It’s also possible your business could be accused of stealing another company’s intellectual property. In this case, it’s a good idea to speak to skilled federal criminal defense lawyers to better understand your rights. If you’re concerned or confused about intellectual property law, a professional lawyer will be able to clarify things and put you at ease.
Protect private information
If there’s certain confidential information relating to your business you can use various types of non-disclosure agreements. These will legally bind your employees and clients from disclosing trade secrets and other sensitive material. You can also include a confidentiality clause in employee contracts. Seek legal advice on this as well. This way you can ensure all necessary aspects of your intellectual property are protected in the agreement.
Improve cybersecurity measures
Keep your business protected online by increasing cybersecurity measures. Control access to sensitive information. Use multi-factor authentication and consider outsourcing cloud hosting. You could work with a managed service provider to ensure you have data backup and disaster recovery in place. They will be able to use proactive IT to protect your business and prevent any breaches before they happen. Here are some other useful data security tips for small businesses.
Ensuring all aspects of your business are protected will give you peace of mind. Your products and ideas are unique and only you can decide who has the rights to them.
