Intellectual Property Lawyers in Birmingham
Intellectual Property is the term used to reference creations such designs, inventions, names, images, artistic and literary works, computer code and other products of human thought.
There are Four Types of Intellectual Property
- Trademarks: Trademark law may be employed to protect your business name or logo..
- Copyrights: Copyright law protects expressions or works of art, though it also may protect software code.
- Patents: Patent law protects novel inventions for useful items.
- Trade Secrets: Trade secret law protects secret business information or processes that are valuable to businesses due to their confidential nature.
Call Lippitt O’Keefe, PLLC at (248) 609-3526 or reach out online to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.
Trademarks
A trademark is name, logo or slogan that represents the source of certain goods or services. Registration of a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office can help to protect your business against others using a confusingly similar mark.
Lippitt O’Keefe attorneys can advise you as to whether there are similar marks already registered, and can assist you with filing an initial application for trademark registration for your name, slogan or logo.
Every five to ten years, trademark registrations are due for renewal with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Lippitt O’Keefe is experienced in filing Declarations of Use and Incontestability under Sections 8 and 15 of the Lanham Act. If you have a registered trademark, be sure to contact us so that we may advise you as to your deadlines and can assist you in effective filings.
In some instances, it may be advantageous to file trademark registration applications with your local, state trademark registration office. We are experienced in filing these applications in many states, including Michigan, Texas, California and New York.
Copyright
Copyright protects original works of authorship. While a copyright is valid as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression, federal registration with the U.S. Copyright Office can assist creators in prosecuting those who infringe their work by making unauthorized copies.
Copyright registration applications can be filed for creations such as paintings, photographs, illustrations, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, poems, blog posts, movies, architectural works, and plays. Holding a copyright registration can put the world on notice that your work is yours, and yours alone.
Lippitt O’Keefe attorneys can advise you as to whether your work is eligible for copyright protection and we can assist you with filing a registration application. We can also advise you as to the length your copyright will last.
Patents
A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention. Once granted, only the holder of the patent can make or reproduce a certain invention for the duration of the patent. Patents can be one of the most valuable tools to protect the novel products or systems sold, marketed or used by business owners.
Prosecuting a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office is a complicated process that requires familiarity with the particular requirements set forth by the Patent Act. Our intellectual property attorneys are experienced in drafting and prosecuting patent applications in many fields of science and engineering. Contact us to discuss which features of your invention are most valuable to you so that we can protect your competitors from replicating them.
Trade Secrets
Trade secret law protects confidential information that is valuable to the operation of a business. Some good examples of intellectual property in this field are business processes or customer lists. Recipes are often best protected by trade secret structures. If an invention is difficult to reverse-engineer, it might be worth considering the pursuit of trade secret protection, and this decision is something our attorneys can consult with you on.
Lippitt O’Keefe attorneys are experienced in drafting robust nondisclosure agreements to protect your trade secrets. We often draft stand-alone agreements for this purpose, though we may advise that you instead incorporate one into employment agreements where it is appropriate.
Call Lippitt O’Keefe, PLLC at (248) 609-3526 or reach out online to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.