by T.C. Sert

Created on: March 06, 2010

Intellectual property theft is becoming an increasingly wide-spread problem, which can be avoided with a little extra attention, and taking some preventative measures. In some cases IP theft was not a purposeful act, but rather conducted out of ignorance because it was not made clear that the use of an idea from a project was considered as theft. In such cases it is very important to protect your intellectual property, as well as make it openly clear that the property is indeed protected. There are several easy ways to protect your intellectual property.

Copyright, Patent, Trademark Your Designs And Ideas

This is the most important step for anyone that wants to protect their ideas and designs, and not risk them being used or stolen. If you don't have a copyright, trademark or patent, then you won't have any grounds to protect your property in the case that someone did try to claim it as their own. It's not only necessary to copyright your idea within the United States, but also seek out protecting your ideas in other countries. Research whether your idea is able to be copyrighted, trademarked or patented, and take action before allowing others to view it. Once you have the full rights on your idea or design, then you have taken the greatest leap necessary in claiming, and protecting what is rightfully yours.

Keep Records

This may seem tedious at times, but in fact it is very useful in proving that the original idea was all your own. Even if you hold the copyright, someone could step in later on, and try to say falsely that you had stolen the idea from them or another person. Though this is wrong, it happens. Keeping record logs of the process of development of your idea or design during its development stage will provide hard proof should such an unfortunate case arise. Having these files available, and protected is also important. Always make sure they are in a safe place.

Know Who You Are Dealing With

Before presenting your Intellectual Property to others be sure you know who you are dealing with. Do research about the company, or person you are dealing with before you allow them to view your property. Sometimes people unconsciously expose their IP to the wrong people, and they end up with a legal case on their hands due to theft. This can be prevented by researching the company or person to make sure that they are trustworthy.

Create A Non-Disclosure Agreement

An NDA is a very useful tool that helps people protect their Intellectual Property when presenting to others. Having people sign a nondisclosure agreement insures that they will not be able to use our property in any way. This will also help you to identify those people that can and cannot be trusted to view your ideas. Though, they can sometimes be less efficient as proof during a legal matter, they still have their benefits. It's best to be safe, and use an NDA rather than take the risk without it.

These are just a few easy ways to protect your Intellectual Property, but the final measure is accepting agreements based on the development process instead of showing the entire design. This will allow you the security of working on your project while protecting your idea or design until everything has been completed, and you are fully awarded for your work.

Learn more about this author, T.C. Sert.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.