As LawInfo.com states: “ Intellectual property law lawyers cover a very broad area of legal issues involving contracts, patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, trade dress and other issues. Intellectual property lawyers can even help you with issues pertaining to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) or Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), as well as other Internet and other Information Technology matters as well as transactional entertainment law, which could involve such people as producers, writers, actors, musicians and directors.” That is a mouthful, to be sure.
But basically, think about it this way – intellectual property law is about ideas, and things that arise from those ideas, and the legal protection under the law. And an intellectual property attorney in New York and elsewhere join the fight to protect your rights. Here are some of the things that such an attorney can do for you, according to NYCCounsel.com:
Establish and protect your intellectual property rights when it comes to trademarks, copyrights, and the like
You spend your time writing a great article for your web site, only to see somebody else lift it whole cloth and put her name on it. How frustrating! Or you see your photo that you spent so much time trying to get the right shot with on the cover of a book, and you did not get a dime in compensation. Or perhaps you want to simply establish your trademark or copyright. There are a variety of reasons you might want to consider getting an attorney to help here.
These are some of the areas an intellectual property attorney in New York or elsewhere can help you with. Not only can the lawyer help you establish a trademark or copyright for your product or idea, he or she can help fight any claims against that copyright or trademark.
Establishing a patent
If you have a great idea for a unique product, you want to make sure that nobody steals this idea. That is another area an intellectual property lawyer can help. The attorney can help guide you through the complicated process of establishing a patent. They can also research to see if somebody else already has a patent on your idea, as well as helping protect your rights against infringers after your patent has been established.
Protecting trade secrets
Let’s suppose you have a great business idea, and you have a former staffer take that business idea and use it for his or her own business. You could potentially go after the ex-employee for stealing trade secrets if he or she signed a non-disclosure pact. Even if they haven’t there may be something you can do. Your lawyer can help you get justice – or help you in writing such a policy if you are starting a new business. To learn more, look for an intellectual property attorney in your area.