The Traklight Blog

Specializing in intellectual property (IP), we often come in contact with people who know they have something unique to protect, but aren't entirely sure what that is. Cornell University School of Law defines intellectual property as "any product of the human intellect that the law protects from unauthorized use by others."

That definition is accurate, fine, and useful...if you understand the legal speak they're using. But for the lay person, what is IP for a creative type?

You know you need to protect your intellectual property (IP), but how should you go about creating an IP strategy? To help you get started, here are three common mistakes made when creating an IP strategy that you should avoid:

The wide world of intellectual property (IP) can seem a little convoluted and hard to navigate. You hear from one source it's not a big deal and you can wait on it (we do not agree!), and then from another that it's one of the most important things to factor in as you start your business. We are going to tear apart 10 common IP myths so you'll never again have to question which way is up for IP and intangibles.

How is intellectual property defined? Intellectual property (IP) pertains to things you create with your mind, not the ideas themselves, but the expression of the ideas in some form. An idea all by itself in your head, is not IP.

If you created something original, you may have a certain degree of protection against someone else using, claiming, modifying, or selling it. There are four common types of IP: copyrights, patents, trademarks (including design rights), and trade secrets. Every once in a while we like to recap these four intellectual property types and distinguish them for our readers. Enjoy!

Well, what do you think?! After much hard work and lots of Traker teamwork, we did it! We've been talking about this website update for a while: streamlining our message for customers, clarifying how our products can help, and for the girly-ness in me, just making it pretty (you know, with one of those infinitely-scrolling, pictures-out-to-the-edges-of-the-screen type websites). With the remodel came the chance to re-brand; the chance to spruce up our logo, and move to a brighter, more modern orange, gray, and blue theme.

Now, while that's definitely a perk (yes, I'm a marketer, so this makes me infinitely happy!), the real meat of awesomeness I can sum up with the following: updated messaging, introducing Traklight Pro, and offering our Basic IP Vault free (we also have some cool new eCommerce features, some of which we've talked about recently, others that we will introduce to you soon).

Intellectual property (IP) is a huge talking point among investors, lawyers, and those wishing to start a startup. And for good reason, too. In today's market, a new business venture generally consists of the people starting it, their IP, and little else. That's why it's so important to protect those assets and avoid these top 10 startup mistakes.

In today's world, you can never be too careful. The process of protecting your intangible assets, including your intellectual property (IP), can turn into a confusing, overwhelming, and expensive process. But it is a vital element necessary to all businesses. Here at Traklight, we understand your concerns when it comes to the value and protection of your IP. That's why we created our IP Vault^®. So what makes Traklight's IP Vault different from other cloud storage solutions?

Everything in our lives need maintenance, whether it's exercising your body, giving your car a tune up, or assessing the health of your business—more specifically their intangible assets. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs do not fully understand the value of their current and potential intangible assets. Failing to identify those assets, including your intellectual property (IP), could spell the downfall of a business venture, whether risking funding from investors or the protection of IP itself. Getting help from an IP expert is something you should consider if you have been making any of these three common intellectual property mistakes.

Sometimes if you hear something enough, you'll commit it to memory. And when it comes to your business, there are a lot of things you need to remember to keep straight. In the past, Mary Juetten, Traklight Founder and CEO, has written extensively about intangible assets, intellectual property (IP), and raising money for your startup. We wanted to recap some key points from some of her most popular Forbes contribution articles to help you get the investments you need for your startup. Follow these these intellectual property tips from Mary:

Developing a solid intellectual property (IP) strategy is essential for emerging companies preparing for market entrance. Various forms of IP can usually be found in company’s portfolio and identifying these assets based on business goals and assumed future opportunities are at the core of that strategy. The following are a few tips to keep in mind to improve your IP strategy for startups.

Trademarks that aren't inherently distinctive, like descriptive trademarks, must have secondary meaning to be protected under US Intellectual Property Laws. Secondary meaning occurs when the particular trademark transcends public awareness such that people, in general, don't associate it with the product category, but with the actual specific company/brand. For example, most people associate Apple with the specific company rather than with computers in general.

Can you smell the holidays in the air? I'm talking about those scrumptious cinnamon-scented pine cones that just make you want to belt out "Jingle Bells" at the top of your lungs in the middle of the cereal aisle. 

With the holidays on our mind, we extended our Cyber Monday deal (ID your IP for only $59) though the end of the day today!

We don't have any clever stories today about intangible assets or intellectual property, but if you're reading this blog update from your inbox, or just happened upon reading our blog straight from our website, we wanted to wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Intellectual property (IP) affects small businesses in every industry. But especially in developing, emerging industries, outdated laws can turn into significant problems for individual businesses. The 3D printing industry offers an excellent case study in how industry and lawmakers work together to update IP law. 

Recently, Mediabistro held a conference in our nation's capital that addressed intellectual property rights in the industry. At the 3D Printing Politics Conference in Washington, D.C., lawmakers and industry leaders discussed the impact that IP issues can have on the future of 3D printing.

Two weeks ago, the Traklight on Forbes series shared an interview with Unified Patents and what they're doing to stop Non-Practicing Entities from hurting your business. Check back every Thursday for more Forbes content. Thanks for reading!

We've all had a time or two, some more than others, when we've thought of an amazing idea but just didn't have the time, money, <fill in the blank for yourself> to bring it to fruition. Enter: The Nontrepreneur™ solution, an idea conceived by WayFounder, a company who provides a way for those ideas to become a reality.

 *This Forbes update will be postponed. Check back later for the updated link or follow Mary on Forbes to be notified of her newest posts. Sorry for any inconvenience!* 

Last week's Traklight on Forbes series shared an interview with Unified Patents and what they're doing to stop Non-Practicing Entities from hurting your business. Check back every Thursday for more content. Thanks for reading!

Mary has spoken in the past about the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. But this time, she interviews the executives of Crowdfund Intermediary Regulatory Association (CFIRA), two months before the end of 2014 and just in time for the annual Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation and a public CFIRA meeting.

If you're planning on registering a trademark, you must make sure that it falls within the categories protected by US Intellectual Property Law. For example, if you try to register “Library Books," but you have no products or services associated with it, you will be unable to sue for any damages if someone uses the phrase.

Last week's Traklight on Forbes series was a recap of the CodeX Demo Event on Legal Technology, which featured top legal tech company founders' perspectives on the growing industry. Check back every Thursday for more content. Thanks for reading!

Going with a Halloween theme, this week Mary covers the topic of Non-Practicing Entities (NPE's), also known in the world of intellectual property as "patent trolls." These trolls strike fear in business owners because of the financial burden of litigation and the potential to wipe out business' valuation. NPE's buy patents, and use their claim on overly vague patents to pursue legal action against businesses with the intent of winning a settlement. These NPE's never actually attempt to use the patent to develop their own product, hence the name Non-Practicing Entity. Their whole business model is based on abusing the legal system. 

If you're scared about showing your unpatented invention to anyone, then you should know that there's a provision in patent law that allows you to disclose your invention for experimental use without it violating the novelty prong of patentability.

Last week's Traklight on Forbes series was an Interview with Digital Agency ONE400 on how to start small and have a big impact with your business. Check back every Thursday for more content. Thanks for reading!

If you're a regular Traklight blog reader, you may be wondering why we didn't have our Forbes blog update for you yesterday. Neverfear! It was well worth the wait: We are officially announcing an existing new collaborative project that's been dubbed, The Legal Tech Toolkit (LTTK). We will continually be adding to this resourceful list of legal tech companies and intend for it to help you build your legal business.