What Steps Should I Take to Secure My Small Business Intellectual Property?

Small business owners are the backbone of our society, and whether you own a bakery, a computer repair shop, a marketing company, or otherwise, there is a strong chance you have at least some valuable intellectual property, whether you know it or not. For this reason, you should strongly consider speaking with a competent Orleans Parish, Louisiana intellectual property lawyer to learn more about the IP you own and how an attorney can help protect it from others. Here are some of the questions you may have:

What types of intellectual property may a small business own?

Small businesses can own a wide range of intellectual property, depending on the nature of the business itself and the services it provides its customers. That said, in general, some of the most common types of IP small businesses may own are as follows:

• Patentable information, such as software codes, architectural blueprints, formulas, and processes.
• Trademarks, such as logos, brand names, or product packaging ideas.
• Copyrightable material, such as printed materials (like books or other written works), digital designs, musical compositions and recordings, and more.
• Trade secrets, such as recipes, may not technically be copyrightable but they are nonetheless incredibly valuable to a company’s success.

How can an attorney help me protect this intellectual property?

By hiring an intellectual property lawyer, you can rest easy at night knowing you’re taking the most important step towards keeping your intellectual property safe. An IP lawyer can take a look at your business, determine what protections may be afforded to different types of IP (e.g. copyrights, trademarks, patents, etc.), and then take the necessary steps to legally protect this information.

Your IP lawyer can also inform you of best practices when it comes to securing certain trade secrets and can, in some cases, even draft up contracts or agreements for your employees to sign that can explicitly outline what trade secrets they are forbidden from sharing with the world and provisions detailing what will happen should they violate the agreement.

An intellectual property attorney can also keep you abreast of new developments in your field and help you stay informed of any potential competitors.

Ultimately, these are just some of the ways in which an intellectual property lawyer can help you protect your small business and if you believe you have valuable information you want to protect, please don’t hesitate to contact Lemler IP today.