 Inventors
& Inventions
Patents, Trademarks, Trade Secrets & Copyrights...these
are a few ways of describing "Intellectual Property".
Like any property or business expense, "Intellectual
Property" should be counted among your strategic
considerations.
JUMP TO
FREE GENERAL INFORMATION
(below)
$45 One-ON-One CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION
Topic:
"Music Licensing and Copyrights for MUSICIANS"
Topic:
"Licensing and Copyrights for FILM MAKERS"
Topic:
"FUNDRAISING FOR A SECRET "
The general topic of
"Intellectual Property" is well within the comprehension
of most entrepreneurs. It isn't nearly as
difficult to understand the process and categories of
"intellectual rights" as some attorneys and consultants
would have you believe. Knowing what qualifies as
"property" (and how it qualifies) is a fairly
straight-forward idea.
Let's face it- you
probably know a good idea when you see one. The hard
part is putting that understanding and knowledge on
paper in a legal and technical format (making it
acceptable for filing via application or claim with the
appropriate entity). Harder still is using
language that is enforceable by the appropriate entity.
We have built our
reputation on making bold claims- so here you go:
1. YOU can learn
enough in ONE HOUR to speak intelligently with a
professional about your Intellectual Property (and keep
a keen eye on confidentiality).
2. EVERYTHING
YOU NEED TO KNOW to start an intelligent
conversation on Intellectual Property IS LISTED AND
LINKED on this ONE PAGE
3. THIS INFO IS
FREE...
We also happen to think we've created the cleanest and
easiest place on the web to learn about all this
"gobblety-gook"
We do our best to say things without getting too
technical.
You can hire us if you'd like but either way we want you
to be smarter. We put our money where our mouth is
and invested time and energy FOR YOU...on this page.
Don't be
intimidated by the information. Spend an hour or
more. Come back later if you have to (this page isn't going
anywhere and neither are we).
Getting Educated on the
broad strokes of Intellectual Property could be the most
important HOUR you've ever spent on the Internet.
TO BE CLEAR: Intellectual
Property Documentation should be done by a professional.
Our aim is simply to help you understand the topic
("talk the talk" so-to-speak). Then you can make
educated decisions.
Your business, your rights and even your personal
confidence depend on your ability to understand
complicated topics in as little time as possible.
Jump to free info...
The simple fact remains
that Intellectual Property is a "documentation" game.
If you have hired someone to design a website or a slide
presentation then you realize the power of
documentation- it gets the point across in ways that a
conversation can't (especially when documented by
somebody who knows how to communicate in their chosen
medium).
After an hour of
"clicking around" (here or somewhere else) you should be
able to confidently guide a conversation towards
"Documenting Your Property".
Jump
to free info...
Labeling YOUR PROPERTY
(and understanding its value) is monumentally more
important than getting a Patent, Trademark or Copyright!
Understanding "value" is your most important job as an
entrepreneur. Documenting the value of and the
claims you should make (about what you
discover, create or own) should remain the job of a
professional (just as taxes, lawsuits and web design are
reserved for those documentation professionals).
We "get" how the
entrepreneurial mind works and we don't insult your
intelligence. If you are on this page of our
website it means you are "thinking about Intellectual
Property" and that is precisely what we believe any
competent entrepreneur should be doing.
Jump to free info...
If this topic was "common
knowledge" you wouldn't be here - but you ARE here and
willing to learn what you need to know. That alone
sets you apart from your competition and we are pleased
to share this knowledge with people like you.
Enjoy...
feel
free to drop us an
email if
you have a question
Jump to
free info...
 MEInc
ADVERTISEMENT
GET
AN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENT
You can hire an MEInc Consultant to go through your
company, products & services with a fine tooth comb.
We sign a non-disclosure agreement and
systematically review every nuance of your business
for exploitable property (confidentially).
After thorough review we will label all of the
unique components and claims that we think should be
considered for formal treatment (as part of your
"intellectual property portfolio"). We will
also recommend ways for your company to exploit
intellectual property for profit and/or use your
property to leverage other business enhancements
(things like marketing, licensing & product
placement through our network).
Free Initial Phone Consultation
CONTACT US for an
Intellectual Property Review
Who should be thinking about Intellectual Property
?
(click for specific tips [coming
soon])
Writers
Producers
Engineers
Inventors
Architects
Chefs
Artists
Photographers
Graphic Designers
Web Developers
Songwriters & Musicians
Recording Artists / Performing Artists
Videographers
Consultants
Business Owners
ANYONE who "creates" products, services, art or methods"
(and especially if those things are an important part of
your business).
When you own or serve a
business there are many forms of intellectual property
that can potentially outweigh the billable or retail
value of your actual goods and services. On a
day-to-day basis the average person is bombarded with
legally protected goods, services, marks, designs and
art. Odds are that you too have a long list of
legal property (information, products and ideas) that are the lifeblood
of your business income.
A properly executed
Patent, Trademark or Copyright (even Trade Secrets)
can enhance the value of your company in profound ways
with substantial legal benefits.
On the other hand...being aware of intellectual property
law will prevent you from making costly mistakes.
Our primary
business is managing intellectual property (not
registering intellectual property). We
have gathered various pieces of general information to
help you navigate a very complicated topic:
FREE GENERAL
INFORMATION
All opinions and information contained
herein are provided free of charge and are NOT INTENDED
to act as a substitute for appropriate Legal and/or
Marketing advice. Intellectual Property (and the
exploitation of intellectual property for financial
gain) is an extremely specialized and legal field.
We recommend consulting a professional.
WHO
Government Entities, Attorneys, Agents,
Consultants, Contractors and a slew of other people
(including MEInc) all make their living through
intellectual property management (if you profit from the
sale or purchase of
anything, you will almost certainly have reasonable
cause to work with these type of people). When it
comes time for you to weigh the impact of protecting,
licensing or otherwise exploiting your intellectual
property (or someone else's property) is not a time to
try and "go it alone". Below is a list of the
people and agencies that make up the intellectual
property workforce:
PRIVATE SECTOR
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS
MEInc CONSULTANTS
WHAT
Trade Secrets do not need to be
registered (if they were made public they wouldn't be a
secret). When you are ready to make a claim of
ownership for the public record (an invention, art,
method, etc...) you can formally file your claims and
rights with the appropriate organization/entity (and
hire the help you want).
Then read more about the appropriate
information from the list below:
PATENTS
TRADEMARKS
SERVICE MARKS
COPYRIGHTS
TRADE SECRETS
PUBLIC DOMAIN
WHEN & WHY
There are a long list of factors that go
into deciding the best time to protect your property,
when to keep it private and when to make it public.
We outline some of the basic considerations below:
NOTE: This is our particular
area of expertise and support for our clients
COST
INCUBATION
PRIVACY
(GOOD & BAD)
PUBLICITY
(GOOD & BAD)
CONTRACTS
RESEARCH
BUSINESS STRATEGY
LICENSE OR LAUNCH
CONFIDENTIALITY
TAX CONSEQUENCES
USING THE LEGAL SYMBOLS:
"©, ®,
P, TM & SM "
COPYRIGHTS
(WARNING: COPYRIGHTS DO NOT
PROTECT INVENTIONS)
WHERE
Information and resources exists all
over the Internet. There are countless books and
reference materials on the topic of intellectual
property. For convenience we have collected a list
of some of these resources:
LINKS
BOOKS
OTHER
RESOURCES
Like any good Government Agency the
United States Patent & Trademark Office has a
website that is completely dizzy with vast amounts of
information.
Most of the basic knowledge that you will find
helpful (or need) is listed in between a wide array of
redundant bulletins, notices and policies that you
really couldn't care less about.
www.uspto.gov
Note: They are commonly referred to as "the PTO".
Domain Name Registration
(see if "YourIdea.com" is available)
Read our very HELPFUL Domain Name TUTORIAL
AND WEBSITE INFO
if you found
this page useful please drop us a note and let us know
EMAIL
"It has taken me 16 years as an architectural
designer, construction contractor, writer, recording
artist and entertainer to digest the legal and financial process of
managing intellectual property and performance art.
I have become well versed on the topic. I went
through the expense of putting this information together
for you because YOU NEED TO KNOW and WE EDUCATE our
clients. All the same, I strongly
advise even my most competent clients to limit 'Do It
Yourself' activities to 'Copyrights & Trademarks'.
Legal language can be a dangerous double-edged sword.
Anyone who is considering filing a PATENT should
enlist the help of a qualified legal patent
professional." - Mark Mahar
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