Date post: | 13-Jan-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | the-capital-network |
View: | 189 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP Seaport West 155 Seaport Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02210 Telephone 617.439.2000
www.nutter.com
Critical IP Issues for Startups
October 24, 2013
Paul Cronin, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP Heather B. Repicky, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP Mac Dougherty, Cognitive Electronics Chuck Toye, Cognitive Electronics
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 2
Your IP Strategy Should Identify: • Offensive uses of IP – How will you create barriers to
entry that keep competitors behind you
• Defensive uses of IP – How will you keep control of the important aspects of your business
• IP assets – How can you build value using your IP portfolio
• IP liabilities – How will you avoid the potholes
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 3
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Short Term
Business Goals
$ Long Term Business
Goals
Marketplace &
Competitors
Technical Need
Timing
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 4
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
• Patents • Trademarks/Trade Dress • Copyrights • Trade Secrets • Employment Agreements & NDAs*
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 5
PATENTS
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent . . . . ”
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 6
PATENTS
• First-to-file system • 20 year term • On-sale/Public disclosure bar • Territorial rights • $
4 Basic Patent Issues Will Immediately Come Into Play As You Are Developing Your IP Strategy
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 7
TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS
• Definition: word, phrase, symbol, or design that is used to identify the source of goods/services and to distinguish them from others
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 8
TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS
• Think about developing a brand • Clear your mark • Consider filing for trademark registration,
even if you have not begun using the mark
3 QuickTips Relevant To Trademark Issues:
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 9
COPYRIGHTS
• Requirements: Original work of author • Ownership: Author, unless work made for hire • Open Source Issues
Copyrights are not just relevant to painters and novelists.
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 10
TRADE SECRETS
• Definition: (1) Information that derives an economic value and is not readily ascertainable and (2) reasonable effort is made to maintain secrecy
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 11
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS & NDAs
• Ownership of IP • Non-competition Agreements (jurisdictional) • Use of NDAs with vendors/suppliers • Spend time coming up with a description that
doesn’t reveal your trade secrets but shows the company value
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 12
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 13
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 14
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 15
Top Of Mind Issues
• Ownership of IP • Protecting your trade secrets • NDAs and the Pitfalls of Disclosure By
Third Parties • Provisional Patent Applications • Copyright Licensing Issues
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 16
Questions?
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com 17
THANK YOU