IP Attorney Charlottesville, VA
If you are a business owner, an author, an inventor, or an entrepreneur, you should consider talking to a qualified IP attorney in Charlottesville, Virginia who can help you maximize and protect the value of your intellectual property. Whether you are just getting started in your business or creative venture, or if you have been at work for some time, there are likely many things that will require legal counsel. Our intellectual property attorney from the law office of Dale Jensen, PLC, can help you to protect your hard work and help you grow your enterprise.
What Are the Three Major Forms of Government-Issued Intellectual Property Protections?
Some forms of intellectual property are safeguarded through the utilization of non-compete clauses and non-disclosure agreements enforced by the parties that choose to make use of these contractual tools. But many forms of intellectual property are protected through government-issued legal safeguards. Once inventors, artists, creators, and innovators have properly secured these protections, they become enforceable in court with the assistance of professionals like Charlottesville, Virginia, IP attorneys. Once enforceable, these rights become better protected against would-be infringers. Similarly, once safeguards are in place, it becomes harder for others to accuse you of infringing upon their intellectual property rights by using your own creative work.
Copyrights
Technically speaking, an original work of authorship or artistry (literature, drama, visual art, architecture, musical compositions, etc.) is copyrighted as soon as it is “created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device,” according to the U.S. Copyright Office. However, these copyright safeguards generally only become enforceable in court once that copyright is registered with the government. The registration process is relatively straightforward and progresses quickly once an applicant and a Charlottesville, Virginia IP attorney work together to compile necessary documentation.
Patents
By contrast, securing patent protection is a process that is notoriously complex and time-intensive. These protections extend to specific asexually reproducing plant species/hybrids, manufactured products, processes, machines, and irremovable designs of products and machines. To qualify for patent protection, an eligible work must be new and novel. Unless one is applying for a plant or design patent, the work in question must also be useful. It is critically important to work with a Charlottesville, Virginia IP attorney as soon as your invention is complete to protect your work against emerging sources of prior art. Failure to act quickly could lead to a patent application rejection, which may result in an inability to use your work publicly and/or profit from it.
Trademarks
Trademark protections extend to words, logos, symbols, graphics, phrases, and other branding tools to identify your company and/or its products within the marketplace. Like patents and copyrights, trademarks allow holders to benefit from exclusive intellectual property rights to the work for a certain amount of time. Like patents, trademarks are obtained by applying for relevant safeguards through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Like copyrights and patents, the process of securing these safeguards tends to be much more smooth and effective when approached with the help of a Charlottesville, Virginia IP attorney.
Intellectual Property Guidance Is Available
If you are interested in obtaining copyright, patent, or trademark safeguards for your original work, please consider scheduling a consultation with Dale Jensen, PLC, today. The earlier you act, the sooner your work will be protected against infringement, and the sooner you will personally be protected against claims that you are infringing upon someone else’s intellectual property rights simply for using your own work. We look forward to speaking with you.
A Charlottesville IP attorney from the law office of Dale Jensen, PLC is ready to help meet your intellectual property needs. We have many years of experience helping people just like you with their intellectual property questions and needs. Some of the common services that our intellectual property attorneys provide for our clients include:
- Applying for Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights. Don’t let your creative vision and hard work go unprotected. The IP attorney Charlottesville, Virginia relies on is experienced and competent at helping clients apply for and pursue patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Getting the appropriate protection for your creation is essential to ensuring that your intellectual property is not stolen or misappropriated. Get credit for your vision and set yourself up to fully capitalize on its value.
- Litigation. Whether you are disputing ownership of your intellectual property or if you need to defend your patent, trademark, or copyright, the law office of Dale Jensen, PLC can work on your case. Although our attorneys are skilled negotiators and are prepared to take measures to settle your conflicts out of court to keep costs low and results fast, they are also prepared to fight for you in court. A Virginia IP attorney at the law office of Dale Jensen, PLC has represented plaintiffs in intellectual property cases in many matters in court. We are competent and skilled litigators who know how to get solid results for their clients. Litigation can be a complex and intimidating process, but you and your intellectual property will be in good hands.
- General business consultation. If you are just getting started with your enterprise, you may not be sure what you need to protect your intellectual property. Even if you have been in business for decades, you may not have fully considered precisely what a comprehensive plan to protect your intellectual property might look like. A Charlottesville IP attorney can help you create a strategy to protect some of your most valuable assets best, and we can offer you valuable advice as you move forward with your intellectual property.
How an IP Attorney Charlottesville, VA Trusts Can Help With Your Intellectual Property
If you have a great idea, you have worked for years developing a business image and name, or if you have written your first novel, consider calling the intellectual property attorneys at the law office of Dale Jensen, PLC today to schedule an initial consultation. Don’t take risks with your creative property: call the Charlottesville IP attorney residents to rely on to protect and maximize your hard work.
What You Need to Know About Trademarks
When you are dealing with your intellectual property or your business’s intellectual property, you may be wondering how you can protect that property. Things can become more complicated when it comes to intellectual property and not physical property, so each IP attorney in Charlottesville, VA at Dale Jensen, PLC would like to make this simple. If you have words or a symbol that you use to represent a product you have created, or your company has created, you want to trademark this. While you can do this on your own, the paperwork can be a headache, and the process can be long and complicated. We are here to help you trademark your property so that you can continue working hard. Call us now to see what we can do to help.
The Benefits of Registering Your Trademark
As a Charlottesville, VA IP attorney can explain that you may think you can use the mark in commerce when you are unsure whether you should register your trademark. You aren’t wrong, and you do not have to register a trademark to protect your property. However, when you have a federally registered trademark, it establishes certain protections that your property otherwise will not have. It:
- Allows any U.S. registered trademark to be used when you are trying to get registration in a foreign country.
- Shows that you legally own the property and have the exclusive rights to use it in the United States.
- Shows the public that you own that trademark.
Assigning Trademark Ownership to Another Entity
If you wish to do so, you can assign your trademark ownership to someone else or another business. If your trademark is currently in the application phase and under consideration, or if it is a registered trademark, you can transfer it. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) calls this an “Assignment.” If you choose to transfer your trademark (or pending trademark), you will likely need to have a contract written out specifying the trade and who it is with.
Common Law Trademark Rights
If you use your trademark but do not go through the federal registration process, you still have rights to that trademark. If you are the first person or business to use a specific trademark in commerce, you or your business will have the right to continue solely using that trademark. Again, while you do not need to register your trademark, a Charlottesville, VA IP attorney can help you with the registration process to gain its benefits.
Help Contesting Another Trademark
If you find that someone else is trying to register a trademark similar to yours, you have the right to contest it. An attorney from our firm can go over the details of your trademark and the one someone else is trying to register to see if there are enough unique differences between the two or if there is indeed a reason to dispute it legally.
Coming up with brilliant slogans or symbols is already hard. You shouldn’t have to worry about the legal aspect of it. Contact an IP attorney Charlottesville, VA clients recommend from Dale Jensen, PLC, to see how we can help you with your trademark.
The Importance of Protecting Your Intellectual Property
Our IP attorney Charlottesville, VA recommends, will tell you that protection of your intellectual property is critical. Intellectual property can at times be the source of your success and even draw consumers to your business. Intellectual property can include trademarks, copyrights, patents, and business logos. When owners do not go through the proper channels to ensure its protection, their business can be impacted. Our team from Dale Jensen, PLC can assist with protecting IP, manage problems that might arise, and even assist with IP licensing agreements. Having an experienced lawyer by your side as you navigate the often complicated waters of intellectual property offers many benefits for business owners and inventors.
Understanding Intellectual Property
Intellectual property are innovative and creative ideas of the mind. These ideas and works can come from anyone. Typically business owners, artists, writers, and musicians are just a few of the creatives who may have intellectual property that needs to be protected. The four types of intellectual property are:
- Copyrights (music, videos, books, artwork)
- Trade Secrets (Coca Cola recipe, KFC seasoning, McDonald’s Big Mac sauce)
- Trademarks (McDonald’s golden arch, Nike’s checkmark, Luxury brands, catchphrases)
- Patents (inventions such as the iPhone, the lightbulb, computers, and more)
Having these creations protected is critical. Some may not realize that brand recognition is vital for many companies. Protecting your brand with IP protection is essential to prevent others from using your creation without your permission. Having a Charlottesville, Virginia IP attorney can play a crucial role in protecting your design while ensuring that you are not misusing another person’s intellectual property.
Protecting Intellectual Property
Whether you are forming your business or have created something that needs to be safeguarded and protected, it’s critical to have a legal professional assist you with taking the proper course of action. Knowing how to move forward can vary depending upon the type of IP that you have. A lawyer can assist with conducting the following steps:
- Researching to ensure that your idea or invention has not already been registered
- Completing the registration process with the USPTO
- When forming a business, they can assist with protecting the product and domain name
- Developing contracts that further protect IP, such as
- Non Disclosure Agreements
- Licensing Contracts
- Confidentiality Agreements
- Ensure that the proper security measures are in place to protect your IP
Some of the most successful brands in the world rely heavily on the protections that IP offers to ensure that others cannot duplicate creations without their approval. Protecting your IP prevents misuse and also provides an opportunity to earn additional income through licensing agreements and more. Intellectual property is a valuable asset and likely one that is worth protecting. To ensure that the proper steps are taken and that your creation is protected, it’s critical to contact a lawyer for their counsel.
Contact Dale Jensen, PLC
Intellectual property law can be complicated, and the process of protecting your works and creations can be a cumbersome task. Our team of professionals can advise you on the proper course of action and may even be able to make recommendations that you had not considered. To learn more about our firm and how our IP attorney in Charlottesville, VA, can help you, schedule an appointment with our team as soon as possible.