As a new entrepreneur, few things are more frustrating that stumbling upon an idea or company/product name similar to your own. You've probably heard that you should enter your ideas, product names, and company name into a government registry as proof that is was yours first. So how do you decide what to register and how? Here is brief, far from exhaustive checklist of some of the most common scenarios:
Did you write a book, poem, script or song?
Did you paint, sculpt or otherwise create a work of art?
Did you record a song or video?
You may need to register copyright.
Did you create a unique product or service?
Do you use the same name or logo across multiple products and/or services?
Is your product or service available for purchase (or soon will be)?
You may need to apply for trademark.
Does your business have a physical location?
Does that physical location bare a different name than the name of the business itself?
You may need to file for a "Doing Business As" Certificate; this varies by state, New York businesses may learn more here.
There are more types of Intellectual Property protection and many more reasons to file for the type of protection you may need. If you would like our help deciding, feel free to contact us.
Blog posts do not constitute legal advice nor representation. Consult us or another attorney of your choosing before acting.