IP Lawyer In Charlottesville, VA
Licensing Agreements for Intellectual Properties
When most people hear the phrase “creative work,” they think about artistic expression. However, creative work is a far more dynamic subject. Individuals and companies can be creative in the ways they organize their priorities, market their talents, and even in the ways, they solve everyday problems. Take, for example, Post-its. Most people would probably not consider Post-its to be the byproduct of creative work. But until one employee of 3M got creative with very lightly sticky adhesives, no one could stick a note upon a hard surface without first grabbing a piece of tape or alternative adhesive tool. In short, creativity comes in a variety of forms. However, only some creative expressions are considered “intellectual property” and are thus eligible to be protected under the law. A child is creative when they build a unique sandcastle, but said sand creation is almost undoubtedly ineligible for intellectual property protection. So, what kinds of creative work can be protected with the assistance of an experienced Charlottesville, VA IP lawyer? There are four main categories:
Patents
Patent protection extends to unique inventions, manufactured products, manufacturing processes, designs of manufactured products and processes, and unique, asexually reproducing species (or hybrids) of plants. These safeguards must be formally applied for by petitioning the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This process is particularly complex and generally requires the assistance of an experienced Charlottesville, VA IP lawyer.
Copyrights
Copyright protections extend to unique “works of authorship,” including written work, musical compositions, visual art, theater, etc. While its existence technically copyrights a completed and fixed tangible work, one must generally register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office to make that protection enforceable in court.
Trademarks
Trademark protections extend to words, graphics, logos, etc., used in marketing to distinguish a company and its goods/services in the marketplace. These safeguards must be approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to be enforceable.
Trade Secrets
Trade secrets are not protected via a registration or application process managed by the federal government. Instead, any intellectual property (including intangibles, like ideas) that give companies a “competitive edge in the marketplace” can be protected via nondisclosure agreements drawn up by an experienced Charlottesville, VA IP lawyer. Trade Secret protection represents the only significant kind of intellectual property protection that can be managed internally without disclosing information about said intellectual property to the government before it can be safeguarded.
Intellectual Property Guidance Is Available
If you or your company is interested in exploring your intellectual property protection options, please schedule a consultation with an experienced Charlottesville, Virginia IP lawyer at Dale Jensen, PLC today. Consultations are always no-risk and no-obligation. They are simply designed to ensure that potential clients can get their questions answered to make an informed decision about how best to proceed. Should you ultimately decide that you would like to protect your intellectual property via contract, registration, or patent application, our firm’s Charlottesville, VA IP lawyer and legal support team will be happy to assist you with your needs.
We look forward to speaking with you and to learning about the intellectual property you’re interested in protecting.
Licensing Agreements for Intellectual Properties
If you are considering licensing an intellectual property that you own, you may want to contact an IP lawyer to ensure you are fully protected through this process. At Dale Jensen, PLC, we have been assisting clients with all legal issues concerning intellectual properties, including obtaining trademarks, copyrights, patents, and licensing deals for more than ten years.
What Is Licensing?
When an individual owns the rights to a piece of intellectual property, they have two choices in utilizing that property for financial gains. They can produce, market, and sell that property themselves, or they can grant permission to another entity while still maintaining control over their intellectual property. This permission is granted in the form of a license.
The four different types of intellectual property that you can grant a license to are:
- Trademarks: A trademark protects the name, words, and symbols that identify a particular product or service.
- Copyrights: A copyright protects the original work of authorship that is any tangible form of expression.
- Patents: Patents protect inventions.
- Trade Secrets: Trade secrets protect systems and methods. These can include marketing information, recipes, and formulas, inventions which do not have patents, customer lists, process, software, and techniques.
What Should Be in a Licensing Agreement?
Although there are many places online where you can find sample licensing agreements, the truth is that any legal issue that has to do with intellectual property is complex. Even the slightest error can result in serious legal problems and/or financial losses. This is why you should always consult with a Charlottesville, VA IP lawyer when you are negotiating a licensing agreement – whether it is your intellectual property to be licensed or your company that will be granted the license.
The scope of a license is one of the first things that needs to be decided when drawing up a license agreement. Issues such as how long the license will be in effect and what restrictions there will be are examples of items that need to be agreed upon.
Negotiations for a license agreement can be tricky because the intellectual property owner wants to grant permissions that are attractive enough so the entity purchasing the license will be interested, but not so attractive that the owner loses control over their property. Some of the items that should be addressed in a license include:
- How long the license will be;
- If there are any uses of the intellectual property that are prohibited;
- Whether the licensee has the right to modify the intellectual property or combine it with other products;
- Will the owner offer any support services or assistance to the licensee;
- Can the licensee transfer the rights of the license to another entity (referred to as a sub-license);
- What liability does the licensee have;
- What types of testing and training processes or procedures will be in place;
- Whether there be a nondisclosure agreement regarding any confidential information;
- What, if any, warranties will be put in place;
- Is the licensee protected from infringement claims;
- What type of enforcement remedies will be in place; and
- What will the contract termination rights be?
Examples of Licensing Law in Technology
If your company is like most companies out there, most of your IP activity is, fortunately, going to be with licensing, not litigation. Consulting with an IP lawyer in Charlottesville, VA, will ensure that your licensing agreement adequately protects you.
A license is pretty much an agreement between the owner of technology (the licensor) and the licensee. The company wants to use that technology, so both enter into a mutually beneficial agreement whereby the licensee gets the right to use the technology. The license owner gets compensation. In a technology context, licensing involves business considerations, technical considerations, and of course, legal considerations. You want to make sure at the very beginning that you and your lawyer are aware of what success looks like on all three fronts, as well as know what your objectives are when you are licensing.
You should keep in mind that your plan must have flexibility. Any IP lawyer in Charlottesville, VA, will tell you that flexibility is the hallmark of licensing. There is almost always some solution that works both for the licensee and for the licensor. You can change the duration of the license, the scope of the license, the payment process, the payment method – anything can be done with flexibility! Another aspect of licensing flexibility is the duration of the license. Not all licenses are permanent; some have a fixed timeframe. A year, a month, ten years -whatever it might be. This is fine if you are a licensee in that situation with a fixed period of time; just make sure that it is long enough. You do not want to have to go back to the licensor to renegotiate because, of course, by that time, you have already baked the technology into your platform, and the licensor knows this, so they may up the price. Working with an IP lawyer in Charlottesville, VA, ensures you have someone looking out for your best interests.
An early question in almost every license negotiation is the price; but the truth is, the price is typically settled at the end of the licensing negotiation. Often, other terms of the deal impact the price, so those must be negotiated first. Licenses can be presented in many different ways. This gives you the chance to create a license that suits your particular deal and your particular needs. As an example, some licenses are exclusive, and some that are non-exclusive. Some licenses are half and half of both of these options. Consult with an IP lawyer in Charlottesville, VA, to determine which of these is best for you.
- An exclusive license is a license in which the licensor or the one licensing the technology out agrees not to license it to anyone else to use and will not even use it themselves.
- A non-exclusive license is one in which the licensor can license any number of different licenses. You may have a non-exclusive license, and your competitor may also have a non-exclusive license to the same technology.
- Somewhere between these two is something referred to as a sole license. The licensor will not license any other licensees but has the right to continue using the technology themselves.
Let an IP lawyer Help Protect Your Intellectual Property
If you would like an IP lawyer Charlottesville, VA businesses recommend from Dale Jensen, PLC to assist you in a licensing agreement, call our office today to set up a free consultation.
Intellectual Property- Protect it From the Very Start
Our IP lawyer in Charlottesville, VA, recommends that business owners protect their intellectual property as soon as possible. When starting a new business, there will be much to consider, and at times, it’s possible to miss crucial steps that ensure you have protected the ideas, inventions, and brand for your business. Moving through this process can seem overwhelming, and it’s imperative to reach out to our team from Dale Jensen, PLC, for guidance. We can help you understand your IP, draft the necessary agreements/contracts, and, depending upon the type, can move through the proper course of action to ensure its’ protection.
What is Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property are creations that can take on a variety of forms. Some business owners may not even realize that they have unprotected IP because they are unaware that their creation needs to be safeguarded. When protecting IP, many aspects should be considered, many of which extend far beyond inventions and products. Intellectual property can be made up of both tangible and intangible elements and are likely to be a critical component to both your brand and your success as a company. Examples of IP that businesses must protect includes:
- Company Branding such as logos, templates, etc.
- Trade Secrets such as client lists, recipes, manufacturing processes, and more
- Any music or writing
- Specific technology or software
- +More
Your intellectual property is of great value, and for a successful business, creations are incredibly lucrative. Our Charlottesville, Virginia IP lawyer shares that protecting your unique designs, creations, and inventions can ensure that businesses maintain the competitive edge needed to be successful and profitable.
Drafting Contracts for IP Agreements
Many business owners may not realize that contracts are critical to developing agreements that will safeguard intellectual property. Know that a contract should be in writing to provide you with the legal protections you need. While verbal agreements can be made in some situations, know that in the long run, they won’t offer much protection should something go wrong. The following are key contracts and agreements that may play a crucial role in protecting your intellectual property:
Non Disclosure Agreements: prevent those who come into contact with your IP from using your invention. For example: pitching your idea to investors or employees who leave the company.
Non-Compete Agreement: prevents employees from working with the business’s competitors for a period of time after ending their employment to prevent trade secrets from being exploited.
Employee IP Agreements: ensures you have ownership over anything employees created or invented while working.
Independent Contractor Agreement: any contractors creating or inventing for the business must give you the rights of that creation.
Your IP is valuable and should be protected. However, having these assurances can be challenging, especially when there is no contract in place. Contracts are another essential component to protecting your business’s IP, as they can protect your ideas, inventions, and creations from those who are a part of the process.
We know that the process of protecting intellectual property can be complex, and it can be challenging to know where to start and what should be protected. If you need to patent a product, copyright a creative work, trademark your logo or protect company trade secrets, Dale Jensen, PLC can assist with the process. We will ensure that the process of developing agreements, writing contracts, and moving through the application process is managed with ease. Starting a business can be time-consuming, and there will be much to consider, don’t let your intellectual property get lost in the shuffle. Reach out to our experienced IP lawyer in Charlottesville, VA, to get started.