A lot of small businesses are founded on high technology or a breakthrough concept. If you're a technopreneur, and the inventor of a property (software, technology, idea or process), have you looked at how to protect your ownership of the same? Don't look puzzled - protection of your intellectual property (IP) rights is as important as creating the property itself.
Many entrepreneurs have got into a mess by not paying adequate attention to intellectual property rights. Let's say for example, that Mr. Smith has invented a new engineering process while being employed with a company. The company may have patented the same and acknowledged Mr. Smith as the inventor. However, the patent belongs to the company and not to person who invented it. If Mr. Smith decides to start his own business, he has no right to use the same technology.
There may be other cases where a trademark or copyright infringement might occur inadvertently – for example with a brand name or logo that bears a strong similarity to another. Think twice before you model your business logo after the Big Blue, regardless of how much inspiration you've drawn from them.
Undoing an intellectual property rights violation fiasco may be expensive and fraught with difficulty. Therefore, it is best to take adequate precaution beforehand.
Start by taking a look at the ways in which intellectual property can be protected.
Patents protect ideas (or processes or products). It takes a long time to procure one and is an expensive business. However, this works to protect the owner of the patent from future claims of ownership of the same idea.
Patents are valid for a limited period, after which the idea becomes free for others to use. They are also awarded for a certain geographic area – and in today's global environment, a really BIG idea may need to be protected worldwide.
Copyright
Acquiring a copyright is the way to protect written works such as books, software, or even music. However, a copyright only protects the intellectual property from being duplicated, as in the case of software products. On the other hand, a person can take “inspiration” from an idea belonging to someone else, tweak it a bit, and get away with it, scot free. Don't we see that happening all the time?
Trademark
A trademark protects a property that is used to make a company or product marketable – for example a brand name or logo. In case of the use of generic sounding names, trademarks protect the visual rendition but not the name itself.
Other examples of intellectual property protection are
• Prevention of the theft of trade secrets, although this can be quite difficult to achieve
• Non disclosure agreements that prevent employees or vendors from divulging confidential or sensitive information to others
It must be noted that protection of intellectual property rights is a specialized legal science by itself, and you will need to engage the services of an IP lawyer to take care of your interests. Be sure not to overlook them.
For Intellectual Property Protection
It is widely known that to create a first impression of your idea, it is essential to complement the idea with a great graphic design. This could be done through Idea Development of logo, corporate stationary as well as other materials for marketing the company. The graphic team can help in providing assistance to develop the branding of the company through Product Design that reflect the values of the product and the image of the customer.
However, in the process, your idea should be recognized and represented. The team on graphic design in Invent Resources can help in the creation of varied marketing tools like different business cards, promotional material, catalogs, product brochures and press advertisement. The different types of Graphic Design services that are available include Branding, Catalog Design, Labels, Packaging, Branding & Corporate Identity, Stationery, Brochures and Flyers, Posters and Instructions Manuals.
Through the process of branding, both brand and the corporate identity could be developed. Branding helps the consumers to know about the product and services offered by the messaging work. Branding also helps in bringing the product or service to the market and is known by the image rather than the quality of the product.
Invent Resources is helping different companies in developing the brand names of their product. The company believes it is the recognition of the brand and corporate identity, which is essential to success. A brand represents the business of the company and its product. The brand highlights the belief of the company and the logo provides the visual communication. This differentiates the company from its competitors. The identity of the company helps the buyer to purchase the product along with the related perceptions without having to worry about any later regrets. This is made possible using the brand and marketing strategy adopted by the company.
Branding inspires the confidence of the customer as the idea of it remains in the mind for a long time. The brand represents the business and enables the product as well as the company to create a niche for it in the market. Through branding, you get a larger share of the market and get an increase of sales.
Invent Resources not only ensures that it creates a brand image for you but ascertains that you have the right stationary and the required marketing materials which are suited to your brand image. It has been found that professionally created stationery works best in the market. All the details of the design are taken care of including colors, fonts and the images that are used make a lasting impression on the minds of the customers, colleagues as well as employees.
Brochures and Flyers are another important item that Invent Resources considers as the ideal selling tools. If a Brochure or Flyer is made well, it is likely to be read, while a poorly designed material for marketing results in it being rejected without being read. A brochure/flyer that is created well can showcase the product of the company or its services to the right buyer and also make them aware of the presence of your organization in the market place. With Invent Resources you get the best product in the market.
Both Akhil Shahani & Invent Resources236 Invent Resources236 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.