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Protecting your brand has become even more important in the era of digital communication. Not only can people mistake your brand for something else, but some may even use your intellectual property as a tool to make money themselves. If you don’t take the essential steps to protect your brand, you won’t have any control over legal issues that arise.

Register Your Company

The first thing you should do to establish your company as the real deal is to register it with the government. Have you ever seen the symbol that looks like an R inside a circle? This is what tells other people that you are a legally registered company, and not a poser hoping to score some easy money.

Registering your company also allows your business to filter out taxes on your employee’s paychecks automatically—incredibly useful for any business. The process by which you register your business is incredibly simple and should be one of the first steps you take before you open your doors.

Hire Lawyers to Check for Infringements

Let’s face it: following every law on the books for protecting your business is a herculean task. Not only do you have other important matters to attend to as the company owner, but you might not understand every law on intellectual property. This is when you should look to hire an IP lawyer.

Intellectual property lawyers have become essential as of late. They can analyze whether or not your business and its property are being used by someone else. Though a heavy investment, they can also be one of your most valuable team members in defending your company from external threats.

Use Copyrights and Trademarks

Speaking of defending your intellectual property, trademarks and copyrights are other essential elements you can use to protect your company information. Protecting your IP is a huge part of staying ahead of your competition. Without protection, your brand can be taken advantage of, and your product concepts can be used by other companies.

There are differences between the three main protections. Patents protect your invented products and technologies. Trademarks focus on creations that define your brand’s identity, like logos, slogans, and product names. Copyrights generally focus on written pieces of work. Know the differences, and always be claiming them as you work on your products.

Be Vigilant Online

At the end of the day, the best way you can protect your products is by remaining vigilant. The Internet is a big place. Though you may institute the proper copyrights, trademarks, and have great lawyers, some things may still slip through the cracks on first notice. Continue to scan the Internet to find potential copyright infringements.

Caution and persistence are better than sitting back and waiting for your business to suffer the consequences of stolen IP. Defend your products and stand by the law as close as you can.

Legally protecting your brand has become a whole lot more complicated nowadays than it used to be. But hiring a good team, taking initiative with the methods you can utilize to protect your company, and remaining aware can all assist in your overall brand protection.

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