Are you an ambitious entrepreneur with plans to start or expand your own business? Intellectual property (IP) rights can protect the inventions and creations that drive your business and can help you gain exclusive rights in the market place. For this year's Global Entrepreneurship Week, we will be looking at some important tips to consider when thinking about your business's IP.
1. Build your IP strategy – Your business's IP is an important asset that you will want to protect. Have a plan for how you will use IP to reach your business goals. Creating this plan, your IP strategy, helps you make sense of how best to manage your IP. It should always be aligned with your business goals.
2. Responsibility for enforcement – Remember that it is up to the IP rights holder to monitor for infringement and enforce IP rights; not the government. As taking legal action can be costly and time consuming, consider consulting an IP professional before making decisions that could have a significant impact on your business. Also keep in mind that you must separately register your IP in each country that you wish to protect it in. Read more