Attorneys at the Firm provide several types of intellectual property audits to ensure that your intellectual property is being properly protected and that you are not improperly using someone else’s intellectual property. The Firm’s intellectual property audit services include:
Website and Blog Review and Training
Many copyright and trademark owners use automated software to search the web for the unauthorized use of their materials. These owners often send the unauthorized user a letter demanding compensation. Failure to pay may result in copyright or trademark infringement litigation. Attorneys at the Firm will review your website and blog and provide proper training to help reduce the risks associated with the unauthorized use of copyrighted and trademarked materials.
Trade Secret Review
Trade secrets last forever and are one of the most valuable types of intellectual property. There are very specific legal requirements to establishing and maintaining particular information as a trade secret, making trade secrets some of the most difficult intellectual property assets to identify and protect.
The law requires much more than simply referring to something as a trade secret. Failing to follow the specific legal requirements for establishing and maintaining information as a trade secret prohibits the businesses from obtaining court relief (injunctions and/or damages) for someone else’s improper use of the trade secret.
Attorneys at the Firm work with business owners to identify information that constitutes a trade secret and develop procedures to maintain the confidential information as a trade secret.
In addition to identifying and developing procedures around trade secrets, the Firm’s attorneys can audit your physical facilities to identify and close gaps in security that may result in your confidential information, including trade secrets, being leaked or otherwise misappropriated.
IT Licensing Review
Some of the largest monetary payments for copyright infringement have come from business’s unlicensed use of software. In fact, a software industry policing organization rewards individuals for reporting the use of unlicensed software. For example, many software companies provide their software to university students at a significantly reduced price. Businesses cannot use these student versions of software. Another example occurs when businesses improperly use of a free “home version” of particular software on a business computer. These improper uses often occur unknowingly by well-meaning employees. Attorneys at the Firm work with the business and its IT professionals to review the currently-installed systems for proper licenses, and establish procedures and education programs to help prevent unauthorized software use by individual employees.
If you would like to speak to an attorney at the Firm regarding intellectual property audits, please contact us for more information.