PROTECTING BUSINESS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN FLORIDA
Every business has valuable intellectual property, from inventions to trademarks to customer lists and marketing data. If a business does not vigorously defend against infringements on its intellectual property, that business will often lose its competitive edge. Attorney Matthew Fornaro has extensive experience protecting business intellectual property including copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets.
While imitation may be flattery, it often violates legal protections for the business that created the intellectual property. Here are four major legal protections for business intellectual property:
PATENTS
If a patent is registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, then the owner of that patent can file a lawsuit against any other company that uses the patented invention or process.
COPYRIGHTS
A copyright protects any creative work, including music, art, or writing. There are many elements of a business that can fall under copyright protection, including advertisements, web content, layout, and confidential sales and marketing information.
TRADEMARKS
A trademark, servicemark, and trade dress include not only the business name, logo, and slogan, but anything that helps a consumer identify the source of a product or service.
TRADE SECRETS
Business trade secrets includes not just special recipes or formula, but also marketing data, sales information, customer lists, business practices and procedures, custom software code, and other techniques developed in the business. To qualify as a trade secret, a business must demonstrate efforts that it took to keep the information a secret, such as using non-disclosure agreements.
Florida has adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, which permits a business to seek a court order to prevent another business from using its trade secrets.
Attorney Matthew Fornaro has over 14 years of experience as a business litigation attorney in Coral Springs and Broward County, Florida. He counsels businesses on documents and agreements needed to protect business intellectual property, including non-disclosure agreements and licensing agreements that can be profitable for all companies involved.
When litigation is needed to protect the business, he diligently protects intellectual property rights in court. When results really matter, invest in the right choice for your business. Call Attorney Matthew Fornaro to schedule a consultation regarding business intellectual property.