Intellectual Property

It is important to protect your work and enforce your rights against the infringement of others.  In order to do so our attorneys help in filing, processing, and maintaining trademarks and copyrights and provide consultation as to the availability and likelihood of success of achieving registration status.   We have a “soft” IP practice, meaning our lawyers only provide services related to trademarks and copyrights, not patent law, however, should you contact us with a patent related question we will be certain to direct you to capable counsel.

Protecting your IP rights is very important, whether you are an individual or a company.

Trademarks

A trademark (or service mark) is a “word, phrase, symbol, or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods (services)  of one party from another.”  (Per http://www.uspto.gov/).   While technically your rights vest simply by use in commerce, there are various benefits to federal (and/or perhaps state) registration.   “Use in commerce” is the key term with regard to trademarks.

The process of obtaining, and maintaining, a trademark does not stop at the filing with the USPTO.  Our services include determining the likelihood of success for obtaining a mark, enforcing your rights against others, and maintaining your mark in the future.  We will also represent you in Federal Court or before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board should such become necessary.

Copyrights

A copyright is a tangible expression of an idea, not the idea itself.  This includes, books, art work, musical expression, movies, other forms of writing, web content, architecture and more.   There is a wide array of items that can receive copyright protection.   Much like a trademark, upon the “tangible expression” your rights will vest.  However, there are many advantages to federal registration.