From your distinctive product packaging to unique product design, every business creates and owns intellectual property. IP plays a significant role in developing your brand and profiting from your inventions. That means overlooking your IP rights can be a catastrophic mistake. The last thing you want is someone ripping off your designs, ideas, taglines and other intangible assets and selling them as their own.
Whether you need assistance with registering a trade mark or dealing with patent infringement, it would be best to consult an intellectual property lawyer. Here are some ways an IP lawyer can help you.
Understand Intellectual Property
In comparison to tangible assets, understanding and managing intangible assets can be tricky. Moreover, certain misunderstandings or lack of information can lead to your business losing lucrative opportunities. For example, thinking of a mere idea doesn’t mean you will be granted a patent for it. On the other hand, putting a product on the market and seeking a patent for it later won’t work either.
IP such as patents have to be file before being shared with the world. There is no registration requirement for copyright under Australian law. Hiring an IP lawyer is a reliable way to figure out the nuances associated with intellectual property. An expert can also help you with the best ways to safeguard your intellectual property.
Carry Out Research
Getting intellectual property registered is usually a time-consuming process. If you plan to register a trade mark, it’s crucial to conduct extensive research to ensure it doesn’t already exist in your industry. After all, you don’t want to go through all the trouble only to find out that the trade mark is owned by someone else.
Instead of spending time researching it yourself, you can entrust experienced lawyers to conduct clearance to use searches. If it already exists, a lawyer may suggest that you alter the brand or come up with a new one.
Application & Registration
As previously mentioned, registering intellectual property is an extensive process. It takes a minimum of seven and a half months to obtain a trade mark registration. So you can see how disappointing it would be to get your application rejected because you made an error or the mark is already reserved by another trader. That’s why you are better off letting a professional take care of IP application and registration.
Deal with Infringement
Is someone infringing your copyright or IP? Rather than letting someone else benefit from your hard work and unique creations, you may have a right to claim infringement. A copyright lawyer can explain the best solutions and represent your rights in court if it comes to that.
If you uncover infringement or want to register intellectual property, find an experienced IP lawyer with an understanding of international and domestic considerations as well as great communication skills. It’s also important to note that intellectual property rights are usually not applicable globally. If you want to take your goods and services to other counties, it would be best to consult intellectual property law firms familiar with local laws.
