5 Types of Intellectual Property Protection For Business Assets

There are several different types of intellectual property protection for business assets. The various kinds of intellectual property (IP) products are regularly used by businesses looking to protect distinctive assets and leverage economic benefits. These protections help companies avoid theft, deter infringing competitors, and protect their valuable business assets. Organizations must understand the different types of IP to safeguard their profitable creations effectively, inventions, and ideas. As a business owner, you should think about filing for protective intellectual property protection immediately to protect your business from catastrophic corporate events. But first, you’ll want to learn about the different types of intellectual property protection for business assets.

Trade Secrets

Trade secrets are a common type of intellectual property protection for business assets. This form of IP gives companies the exclusive right to be the sole provider of a specific product or business invention idea. If you are interested in filing for trade secrets, you’ll need to understand what assets are original to your brand. This will help you avoid losing out on a profitable competitive advantage. To be granted legal protection, you must demonstrate a desire to protect your company’s unique inventions. This includes software assets, digital technologies, or even confidential information. Before filing, remember that trade secrets do not have an official registration process. Instead, you can simply ask a court to prevent competitors from using your trade secrets if you catch them doing so. Surely, trade secrets are one type of intellectual property protection for business assets.

Copyright Filing

The next type of intellectual property protection for business assets is copyrights. This type of IP allows you to prevent competitors from plagiarizing or replicating any of your written or artistic assets. This primarily applies to literary works, artistic creations, and digital files. If you are interested in filing for copyright protection, you have several options to consider. For example, you can place copyright notices on all of your works once they are finalized. Secondly, you may choose to get your copyright registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. While official copyright registration is not required, it is highly recommended to protect your company in the event of forgery. Certainly, copyrights are important while considering types of intellectual property protection for business assets.

Trademark Registration

Next, trademarks are another popular type of intellectual property protection for business assets. Trademarks are used to make your brand recognizable with distinct signs that resemble your products and services. They can come as specific designs, phrases, shapes, illustrations, or even sounds and smells. Just like USPTO patent protection, trademarks safeguard an entire set of items, goods, or services that are unique to your business. This means you will not need multiple trademarks for every business asset. Definitely, trademark registration is a fairly common type of intellectual property protection for business assets.

Patents Applications

Additionally, patents are another top type of intellectual property protection for business assets. Unlike copyrights or trademarks, patents protect novel discoveries or company inventions. They are used to protect custom software programs, pharmaceutical drugs and newly modified plants. Typically, patents offer legally-binding protection for up to twenty years. Over the course of these two decades, you will essentially have a legal monopoly over your business’s profitable inventions.
Of course, only your business has the right to use, manufacture, sell, or profit from your ideas during those years. Of course, patents are an essential type of intellectual property protection for business assets.

Database Rights

Of course, another type of intellectual property protection for business assets is database rights. These rights exist for companies that have a large amount of input in collecting, authenticating, or showcasing sensitive database contents. To secure database rights, companies must make investments with company finances, human resource consultants and technological data. Once database rights are secured, businesses will have sole ownership to confirm, access and offer any saved database content. Plus, you’ll have the right to deny anyone access to specific files in your database. Ultimately, this type of IP prevents competitors and unauthorized users from extracting or reprocessing any confidential documents. With database rights in effect, you can leverage enforceable protection for up to fifteen years. Surely, another type of intellectual property protection for business assets is database rights.

There are various types of intellectual property protection for business assets. First, use trade secrets to prevent competitors from stealing valuable inventions, technologies, or information. Second, use copyrights to protect any written or artistic assets. Next, trademark protection can safeguard brand relevant slogans, symbols, or logos. Also, apply for a patent to obtain exclusive rights over your unique inventions and discoveries. Furthermore, consider database rights to keep any confidential data private to your company. Follow the points highlighted above to learn about the top types of intellectual property protection for business assets.