As a startup owner, you should know that a trademark is a word, name, symbol, or other device that’s used to identify your company’s goods and services, and distinguishes them from those offered by your competitors. Once you successfully register your mark, you run the risk of losing your right to enforce the registration if you misuse your mark. “Misuse” …
GoSpotCheck recently made the ranks of tech giants like Oracle and Apple—at least in one dubious category. Each of these companies has been sued by Leigh Rothschild. Rothschild and his Plano, Texas-based company Rothschild Digital Confirmation brought an action against GoSpotCheck in U.S. District Court in Denver, claiming they violated a 2008 patent for attaching a timestamp and location data to …
Photo Credit: Adam Procter A case in the news shows the importance of having an IP policy in place at your startup that explains to your employees that the company owns what’s invented at work… A former University of Missouri professor is on trial for his plans to sell an innovative process for making antifreeze by his own company. The school …
Photo Credits: medithIT Startups should be aware that a new online registration system for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) debuted last December from the U.S. Copyright Office. Companies will note several changes and a date for the expiration of the original paper system. The DMCA allows website publishers the opportunity to protect themselves against claims of copyright infringement from user …
Startups should be aware of the consequences if your employee steals trade secrets from his former employer. Read about a recent case in Northern California concerning shared ride technology… Plaintiffs UCAR are a large chauffeured car service provider in China. They offer ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft in the U.S. UCAR is working on ride-hailing software and its analysis …
The intellectual property of your startup can be bought and sold, licensed, exchanged, or donated just like other types of property. A sound strategy for the management of your company’s intellectual property rights will prove to be very profitable if you have experienced legal counsel and understand how these different techniques of conveyance are used. Think of conveying your IP …
A startup needs to protect its intellectual property. At the same time, it needs to shield itself from claims of infringement from others for use of works they don’t own. A common situation with the latter is using a work thought to be in the public domain that is in fact protected by copyright. A work in the public domain …
Photo Credit: HowToStartABlogOnline.net If you’re an entrepreneur, you probably realize the impact that social media can have on a new business. In the past few years, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms have become essential components of startups’ brand awareness, content distribution, lead generation, and customer acquisition strategies. This is especially the case for startups with thin budgets and grassroots …
As you begin operations for your startup, you’ll most likely need help with various types of tasks. Your company may need to develop an app for a Smartphone or write instructions for using your products. You also might hire an independent professional to write the content for your website. These scenarios are all examples of possible copyright issues. Many new …
Copyright is protection provided by federal law for “original works of authorship.” This includes literary, dramatic, musical, architectural, cartographic, choreographic, pantomimic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, and audiovisual creations. The U.S. Copyright Office says that “copyright” means the right to copy, but its definition has come to include a body of exclusive rights granted by law to copyright owners for protection of …
