There is nothing more exciting that developing a new product or opening a new business. However, as exciting as the process may be, there is also no point at which a business may be more vulnerable than when it is beginning operations. Often businesses will have neglected taking the proper steps to protect their intellectual property out of fear that the process is too difficult, too time consuming, or too expensive. A common misconception is that once the business is off the ground and turning a profit then it will be feasible to take the steps to secure a necessary patent or copyright. Such misconceptions can be fatal to a business. Intellectual property can be stolen and duplicated in a short amount of time. If insufficiently protected, a business can be ruined by stolen intellectual property. Without proof of a patent or copyright there is little recourse that a business can take against those who have wrongly taken intellectual property.
Fortunately, it is possible to retain a Dallas intellectual property law firm for a reasonable rate to protect intellectual property before it is too late. It is true that navigating the steps necessary to obtain a patent or copyright are difficult and time consuming and this is why it is better left to a competent attorney to navigate the process for the business. Firstly, an attorney will know the difference between patents and copyrights and will be able to adequately explain why it is necessary to have a patent in certain circumstances and a copyright in other circumstances. Next, the attorney can file the necessary paperwork to secure the patent or copyright. This process involves bureaucracy because the government requires a great deal of paperwork before issuing a patent or copyright. However, a skilled attorney can navigate this complex process more easily than a novice and can secure the necessary patent or copyright in a quick and efficient manner.
Simply securing the patent or copyright is not enough. The patent or copyright will need to protected in the case of intellectual property theft and this is where an intellectual property litigator will step in to handle the case. A litigator is an attorney that focuses on fighting cases in court. In the event of theft or infringement of intellectual property the litigator will file the lawsuit and fight for the business’ rights in court. These litigators are often specialized in the type of business in question. In cases of infringement of film, television, or music copyrights there are special attorneys to handle the matter that have focused on these issues for years. In the case of a patent being violated the attorney will often specialize in the product in question. Patent attorneys spend years working on specific products and they will understand the specifications of the patent as well as the engineers who designed the product in the first place. Intellectual property is an often-overlooked facet of business operations that can spell doom for the business if ignored. A skilled intellectual property attorney can prevent such disasters.