In the modern world, North Carolina successful business owners have a great many things to juggle. As such, it is conceivable that one or two critical issues might go overlooked. Intellectual property is one such issue that business people often fail to address. Unfortunately, intellectual property theft or infringement is one of the most common reasons for business litigation.
Why is intellectual property so important? In most cases, this type of property helps consumers identify reputable brands, which can build valuable trust between a company and consumers. If another company infringes upon this property, you could lose at least part of your customer base.
For example, say a rival company steals your business logo and modifies it a little for its use. Your existing customers may think they are doing business with you when they are patronizing your competition. When this occurs, you could lose valuable clientele to your rival.
Logos are not the only forms of property infringement that could result in business litigation. The following list contains other examples of property that require protection.
- Trademarks, trade names and service marks
- Your company’s trade secrets
- Any software developed for your business
- Copyrights for any works created for your company
Fortunately, you can take steps to protect your company’s intellectual property by working with a business litigation attorney. This might not prevent theft attempts, but it can help you take action should thefts occur. Your lawyer can help you register trademarks and put other protections in place so that you can feel more secure about your business. An attorney can also create a strategy to hold parties to account in the eyes of the law when such thefts do occur.