Creatives and inventors often grapple with deciding when to opt for a patent application. The process is complex for those who have no previous experience and often costs several thousand dollars. So, do you really need a patent right now? If you find yourself asking this question, you’re not alone. We work with clients who are unsure about this stage in their creative process, and it’s not just the complexities or Read More
Enforcing IP Rights: Essential Guidance & Services
An idea is a beginning. Ideas open doors and shape the future. You need to protect those ideas and preserve their value to you and your business by establishing intellectual property protection (i.e. trademarks, copyrights, and patents). Establishing this protection, however, isn’t the end of the IP journey. Intellectual property enforcement ensures others aren’t infringing upon your work without consequences, but it Read More
The Three Patent Types and Why They Matter to Your Business
Ideas matter. We shape our world through innovative and original ideas that stand on their own or build on the hard work of others. Turning an idea from a thought into a reality requires hard work, resilience, and legal consideration. Patent protection secures the hard work you put in every day and creates new opportunities for yourself and your business. If you are ready to take your idea to the next level, you must Read More
Walmart owes $115M to Startup
In true David v. Goliath fashion, a jury delivered a definitive victory to San Antonio-s Zest® Labs, a food tech startup that invented the trade secret system. The jury found Walmart® acted willfully and maliciously, entitling Zest® to $50 million in punitive (exemplary) damages in addition to the $60 million in compensatory damages and $5 million for breach of contract. The case is an excellent example of the power Read More
Protect Your Brand: Why Intellectual Property Rights Should be at the Top of Your Business Start-up Checklist.
When I embarked on starting my most recent business, SnapDivorce® LLC, which provides divorce mediation services,[www.snapdivorce.com] one of the first things I did was turn to IP Works to research the availability of the name “SnapDivorce” and secure exclusive rights to it nationwide. I did this before making any other significant investment in the name, including incorporating it or developing a logo. The only Read More
IP Procurement Is Not An Expense
Thinking about intellectual property procurement including patents, trademarks and copyrights as an expense leads to bad decisions with irreversible negative consequences. Good CFOs and CEOs often look for ways to trim expenses without harming the company. When buying janitorial services, materials or office supplies, for example, it may make sense to go with a cheaper vendor, particularly if what you’re buying is Read More
