Intellectual Property Lawyer Near Me
Whether you’re creating the next great artistic masterpiece or have invented a tool that could clearly help human life run more smoothly, you’re going to want an intellectual property lawyer to protect what is rightfully yours. Ideas, inventions, and even products can all be protected from misuse or from those who simply want to “borrow” your idea without giving you the restitution you deserve.
Ready to find an intellectual property lawyer near you? Simply browse intellectual property lawyer near me on the map below and find a list of qualified intellectual property lawyers in your local area. Need a bit more information on intellectual property? Read on for facts, trivia, and insights that could help you build a case.
Intellectual Property Lawyer Near Me – Find it on the Map
Intellectual Property Lawyer Near Me – Intellectual Property Lawyer Trivia
What are the four types of intellectual property?
When searching intellectual property lawyer near me, you’ll first want to get your facts straight on what entails intellectual property and which is a matter best settled by a different type of lawyer. All in all, there are four distinct types of intellectual property. They include: trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents. The very first type of intellectual property right is known as a trade secret. All inventions or ideas start out as a trade secret of the inventor. Since inventors have a desire to keep their ideas close to the vest and away from those who could potentially profit off of their genius, they always hire an intellectual property lawyer to handle the rest. In order to market the invention, the other types of intellectual property will come into play, as you’ll need to protect the idea with either a patent, trademark, or copyright.
What is a trademark?
When dealing with the concept of “intellectual property” you’ll often run into trademarks. Surely, you’ve seen the “™” often found on big market products. Even a bag of Oreos has the “™” label right on the package. But what is a trademark? Consider this as you search intellectual property lawyer near me. In a nutshell, trademarks work to protect brands. The name of the product associated with the product or serve is known as a trademark. Simply put, a trademark is anything by which a customer can identify a product or the source such as the name or brand associated with the product. Typically, this is the words that you will use to refer to the item you’re selling or service. When the brand or trademark is made up of words instead of being a physical thing, it is known as a “word mark.” It’s absolutely key to trademark your product or brand as soon as possible. Without a trademark, your idea or concept is fair game, which can lead to a lot of competition in terms of what you’re offering to the masses. Hiring an intellectual property lawyer sooner rather than later can help prevent these sorts of issues from arising in the first place.
Intellectual Property Lawyer Near Me – Intellectual Property Lawyer Facts
What is infringement?
If you’ve been using the internet in the past two decades, the word infringement comes up quite a bit in regards to both music and movies. You’ll even see a warning before a DVD that forebodes replication due to “copyright infringement.” As you search intellectual property lawyer near me, you’ll quickly find that infringement refers to the unauthorized use of intellectual property. In order to protect against infringement, owners must stake steps to put the world on notice that there are rights that exist. Providing notice can help to deter infringement by making your rights more apparent to those who seek to violate them. It can also trigger additional legal benefits and will put you in a better position should copyright infringement occur. Inventors can also make their rights known by marking their product or idea with the patent number that was assigned by the patent and trademark offers. The simple label “patent pending” is often highly effective in discouraging others from copying a design or idea before the actually patent is awarded.
Copyright Law
Copyright law often comes into play when dealing with expressive works. Artists, photographers, musicians, and writers, all need copyright laws to help protect their work and how that work is used both with and without consent. Unlike a trademark, copyright law does not necessarily protect names or titles. Instead, copyright protects the expression or creative vehicle for your idea.
Patent Law
As you search intellectual property lawyer near me, you’ll also want to familiarize yourself with patent law. Patent law seeks to protect inventions. When you file and obtain a patent from the US Government, you receive a monopoly on the commercial rights and use of a product for up to 20 years. Patents don’t just protect your good iea, they also protect the functional features of a process, manufactured item, composition of matter, or machine. If you’ve come up with a genius idea or simply want to protect what’s yours, file a patent and hire a lawyer.