Articles Tagged with intellectual property

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AdobeStock_714509522-300x200An intellectual property licensing agreement allows a person to retain ownership of a patent, trademark, or copyright but gives another party permission to use some or all of their intellectual property rights for a specific amount of time for a fee or royalty. Intellectual property contracts usually specify termination dates and procedures, and any person trying to craft an intellectual property agreement will want to be working with an Texas intellectual property lawyer.

After you secure your intellectual property rights, it can be more convenient or valuable to let somebody else use the rights in exchange for a fee. Such logic is exactly why intellectual property agreements and contracts exist, but the documents can be complex and may require intensive negotiations.

Key Intellectual Property Licensing Terminology

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AdobeStock_390212429-300x200Intellectual property theft costs businesses billions each year. If you believe that someone is misusing your patent, copyright, or trademark, you need to act quickly to protect your interests. The California intellectual property attorneys at Structure Law Group, LLP discuss how to respond to IP theft issues.

Types of intellectual property

Companies have legal protection over patented designs or processes, trademarks, and copyrights. Trade secrets are something else entirely. Theft of patents, trademarks, or copyrights can result in lawsuits against other companies or individuals.

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AdobeStock_141334922-300x200For many businesses, intellectual property will be their most valuable asset.  Licensing your IP to other businesses is a lucrative way to earn a passive income. Patents are the most common way to earn revenue from your IP, but copyrights and trademarks can also earn revenue.  Nevertheless, there are pitfalls here and you want to ensure that your interests are protected when you license your IP to another company.  In this article, Structure Law Group’s Los Angeles IP attorney will discuss how to protect yourself when licensing out your intellectual property.

IP license agreements and chain of title

Intellectual property is licensed out to another business using a licensing form.  The form, which can likely be downloaded somewhere online, creates a contract between you and the licensee for use.  However, license templates found online will not necessarily protect your company’s interests when licensing your IP.

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AdobeStock_148838608-300x200Costly litigation has caused many small companies to go out of business. Often, larger companies know this and try to bully a smaller company with the threat of litigation. Small business owners do not have to be overwhelmed by the threat of litigation. With an effective legal strategy, your business can implement policies and procedures that will drastically reduce the odds of litigation. Learn more about the different areas of litigation small business owners must be aware of – and how the experienced litigators at Structure Law Group can help protect your business from liability.

Employment Litigation

Employees can sue their employers for a variety of reasons. Federal and state laws protect employees from discrimination, harassment, and other prohibited activities in the workplace. Employees may also litigate contractual disputes. (This is particularly common in Silicon Valley, where employment agreements cover intellectual property, confidentiality agreements, stock options, and other complex legal issues.) Our lawyers protect employers by drafting comprehensive employment agreements. We also work to develop effective workplace policies that will reduce the chances of a lawsuit for discrimination, harassment, union-busting, or other prohibited workplace activities.

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AdobeStock_121073632-300x200Intellectual property, defined as “any product of the human intellect that the law protects from unauthorized use by others,” isn’t a modern concept. In fact, the United States Constitution, through the “Intellectual Property Clause,” protects the intellectual property rights of authors and inventors in the arts and sciences. It is from this clause that federal intellectual property law, including trademark, copyright, and patent protections, are derived.  A unique product of human intellect can be the basis of a copyright, trademark, or patent.

Categories of Intellectual Property

As is clear from the definition of intellectual property (“IP”), the law doesn’t protect all products of human intellect. Instead, federal and/or state laws protect the following types of intellectual property:

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AdobeStock_279078466-300x188You’ve probably heard your grandfather complain that he did not patent the “mobile phone” he invented in 1942. If he had, he’d be a billionaire! Ideas come and go, but those who take the leap and protect those ideas often reap the benefits.

“Intellectual property” (“IP”) is defined as a unique “product of human intellect” protected by law. Intellectual property can be both in physical form, an idea, or even a design. Algorithms, programming techniques, song lyrics, and books are all forms of intellectual property. Federal law protects intellectual property from being used by unauthorized parties. Protecting business’s intellectual property will help the business maintain the value and benefit from their intellectual property. IP law is complex, and you’ll need the assistance of a Mountain View IP attorney from Structure Law Group to protect your rights under federal intellectual property law.

Types of Intellectual Property

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In the Silicon Valley technology sector, intellectual property is more than just a buzzword. It is an asset with the potential to generate significant income for years to come. Intellectual property includes patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Many employers protect their intellectual property with invention assignment agreements and confidentiality agreements.

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What types of Agreement can be used to protect my company’s intellectual property?

There are many different types of agreements that employers can use to protect their intellectual property. The appropriate one for your business depends on what specific protections your business wishes to enact. An invention assignment agreement is a contract that establishes the employer’s ownership over all creations (including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other inventions) that are created at the employer’s expense on company time.

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Fotolia_106115248_Subscription_Monthly_M-2-300x237Intellectual property is a valuable asset for a business. When a company licenses its IP out to other businesses, it can gain a competitive advantage and also reap the benefits of a lucrative, passive revenue stream.

When dealing with IP, most business owners immediately think of patents.  Patents cover inventions including processes, machines, compositions of matter, designs, and plants.  However, patents are only one type of valuable IP.  There are other types of intellectual property that can be licensed out to increase your business’s revenue.  These include:

  • Trademarks, which protect company or product names, as well as corporate logos, slogans, and other promotional materials; and
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It seems almost once a week there is data breach in the news-Facebook, Experian, Target, Delta Airlines. The list goes on and on. San Jose business owners have a legal obligation to protect their customers’ personal information (also called Personally Identifiable Information or PII). Every business, regardless of the size, should have a privacy policy and measures to safeguard PII. This is especially true if your business collects user information online or stores sensitive employee information.

What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)?

PII is any information that can be used to identify an individual’s personal identity. There are many definitions, but most often the following list is considered PII:

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Palo Alto business owners are faced with heavy competition in the Silicon Valley, all of which are looking for the best practices, methods, and trade secrets. Some of a company’s most valuable assets can be found in your intellectual property. Each year intellectual property theft costs businesses billions of dollars. If you think your intellectual property might be at risk of being stolen or you can confirm it has been stolen, you need to act fast.

Different Types of Intellectual Property

In order to protect yourself from Intellectual Property theft, a business owner must first define what they need to protect. For example, if the business owners want to secure a method of a certain process, a formula specific to their company, or even lock down a logo and name to fight off competition, there will be different applicable forms of legal protection to consider and utilize. There are several forms of protection, some of them being:

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