Why You Need A Business Attorney When Developing Intellectual Property

Is your new business trying to create its own products from scratch? Are you trying to branch out into a new product category to accelerate your growth? If you have employees working on the development of new intellectual property (IP), you will want to make sure you have a business attorney with expertise in this area before you get too far along. Here is how an attorney can help protect your business and any IP that you create.

Creating New Intellectual Property IncludeS a Lot of Paperwork

Creating a new product might include designing a new logo, registering multiple trademarks, obtaining official copyright through government organizations, and much more. There is a lot of paperwork to file if you want to lock down a new invention as yours and only yours and the right business attorney can help you do this without pulling you away from the work. Filing it right the first time will also avoid a situation where you have to fight off a competitor or prove that you thought of something first.

You May Trust Your Employees But It Is Always  Good to Go the Extra Mile

Even if you are a small business and you think of your employees like family, you should still make sure your IP is as locked down and protected as possible while in development. Your business attorney can help you draw up non-disclosure agreements that will make it quite clear to your staff just how important you value maintaining your trade secrets. This will also protect you if an employee ever leaves for a competitor and then that competitor suddenly comes up with a similar idea to what you are working on.

Hiring an Attorney Before Work Begins Will Have You Prepared to Respond Quickly

By hiring an attorney while your IP is still in early development, you will have a legal adviser who is with you every step of the way and your company will be able to respond immediately if something goes sideways. If something leaks to the press, you can investigate and possibly hold employees responsible for breaking their contract. If after your product or invention comes to market someone else tries to create a copycat version, your lawyer will already have all of the paperwork on file to make it clear that they are infringing on your firm's IP rights or trademarks.

Contact a business attorney for further information. 

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