What is intellectual property and why is registering and protecting your intellectual property important for any San Diego business? Intellectual property is generally any creation of a human intellectual mind or creativity. For example, in business we first think of a logo, brand, tagline or saying, song or jingle. Intellectual property extends to scientific endeavors that result in patents, new compounds, manufacturing techniques, or even internal processes and unique strategies for operating a business or advertising it within a market.
A trademark is simply a symbol, word or words used to uniquely identify or associate with a company’s products or services. Trademarks must be researched to ensure their uniqueness and the ability to successfully register them. There are complex forms that must be submitted to the proper government entities, who research the application in turn. Once the government agency believes a trademark may be viable, it “publishes” the trademark for comments. After a period of weeks and in the absence of a challenge, the trademark will become official. Once a trademark is established you must protect it from infringement to preserve the integrity of the trademark and your rights to it.
The experienced intellectual property attorneys at the Watkins Firm work to research and confirm trademarks, copyrights, patents and other intellectual property. We manage every step of the process from the preparation of the application and submission, to defending the application from any challenges that might arise. Once we obtain a trademark or other intellectual property we manage that work against infringement. When we identify potential abuse or encroachment we take immediate legal action to ensure that the competitor or infringing party “ceases and desists” all use of your intellectual property.
If you have questions about registering and protecting your intellectual property in San Diego, such as your logo, brand, trade saying, or other intellectual property we invite you to contact the Watkins Firm or call us for a free consultation at 858-535-1511. Intellectual property is a crucial part of the identity and value of your company. It must be properly registered and protected.