When should you consult an intellectual property lawyer?
Ask : Who is an intellectual property lawyer?
Some of you might confuse intellectual property with the asset that we own. An asset here means a piece of land that someone wants to possess or someone is already possessing. Now, the intellectual property lawyer does not mean the lawyer dealing with the property issues or extortion, etc. Intellectual property means any valuable piece of information that you are possessing and you have a monopoly or is exclusively made by you or is classified is termed as intellectual property. It can be a speech to a political campaign, a valuable sculpture or an invaluable painting.
Patents
The patent is applied to a formula or an invention that you want to make it your monopoly. There are two patents that are most commonly used. They are utility patents and design patents. There is a certain procedure that you need to follow when you want to patent your intellectual property. Well, there is not just a form or two that you need to fill and put them into the process and eventually gain the patent.
You have to put your intellectual property to test with the officials and after they approve the procedure starts. This is the time when you need to consult an intellectual property lawyer. An intellectual property lawyer looks into the rules and regulations that are required to patent your intellectual property. They will make sure that the process does not face any hindrances because of mistake in the paperwork and will make sure that your product does not fail in the tests. The patent lasts for 20 years from the date of obtaining the patent.
Trademarks
Trademarks are easier to obtain, unlike patents. There is not set process that you need to follow to obtain a trademark. Trademark is used to register your brand, logos, etc. that you do not want any other companies to use.
When you want to legalize your trademark it is advisable to consult an intellectual property lawyer. They will guide you through the paperwork that is required and you will not have to visit the government’s office every now and then for the same.
You will get thorough information that will not only save your time and you will avoid making mistakes in the official documents. Also, trademarks are not something with limited application. You can use them till your company is in function.
Copyrights
Copyrights and trademarks procedure go hand in hand with the legal work that is required to obtain them. In fact, copyrights are even easier to get. You do not need to go to a specific office to register them and legalize them. There are copyrighted photographs, copyrighted art, copyrighted articles, etc. What do you exactly need to do to copyright your intellectual property? All you have to do is it mention in the section called ‘disclaimer’ before presenting anything that the intellectual property they are seeing is copyrighted and any part of it cannot be directly used elsewhere. The matter that is required to be mentioned in the disclaimer can be written with the help of an intellectual property lawyer which will be perfect and not- debatable.
You could be a curator and would possess some of the most valuable pieces that you do not want to fall into the wrong hands. You might be having a certain formula to make a medicine that you want to patent. This is the point where you could consult an intellectual property lawyer. An intellectual property lawyer is well-versed in the laws and rules and regulations to guide you through when you want to possess a certain intellectual property through legal means. This can be trademarking, copyrighting, patenting and various other things that you can apply on your intellectual property to mark it as only yours.