IP Attorney

While all material possessions have monetary value, in the entire human race, for all of history, probably the most valuable asset a human being has is the ability to create something.

1.    Ideas
2.    Inventions
3.    Works of Art
4.    Performances

And the worst of it is this: it’s real easy to steal someone else’s ideas. Someone else’s inventions. Even someone else’s thoughts or dreams.

That’s Where “Intellectual Property” Law Comes In :IP Attorney

Otherwise known as “IP” in the legal industry.

Believe it or not, this is a highly appropriated form of law practice ranging all types of businesses and entrepreneurship:

1.    Artists
2.    Writers
3.    Lawyers
4.    Doctors
5.    Teachers
6.    Disc Jockeys
7.    Dancers
8.    Athletes
9.    Singers

Any business that strives to create something can potentially be protected by Intellectual Property Law. Common issues that can be addressed include:

1.    Trademarks
2.    Patents
3.    Trade Secrets
4.    Copyrights

Those four types of Intellectual Property Law protect the creative minds of those able to enrich the world with their ideas and thoughts. And it’s that fact that would require one important person:

The IP Attorney: What They Handle in Terms of Intellectual Property

When dealing with trademarks, you’re looking at these types of things:

1.    Logos
2.    Names
3.    Symbols

A company wanting to trademark their business, their ideas – basically anything they want – would hire a skilled IP attorney to handle the legal process. An example would be the golden arches of McDonalds.

Patents are a slightly different issue: rather than exclusively making it a visual “property” of some kind, an experienced IP attorney would instead ‘patent’ an invention or discovery. That simply means no other persons can make, use, sell, or even import that supposed invention or discovery basically without the consent of the original creator.

It’s important to understand that a patent is not a trademark, in that an ‘unpatented’ trademark would result in another person basically creating exact replicas without claiming originality. In many cases revolving around business, it sometimes would be a benefit to have people creating exact replicas of trademarked items, so long as they don’t claim to be the original owners.

And a trade secret is even more complex, in that those wishing to protect their intellectual property in the form of “trade secrets” would be protecting such things as:

1.    Formulas
2.    Patterns
3.    Equations
4.    Methods

Basically anything that may give a company an advantage over another company would be a “trade secret.” For instance: Pepsi’s way of making pop, the ingredients, the method, etc. etc.

Copyrights deal with creative works –

1.    Paintings
2.    Poems
3.    Novels
4.    Short Stories
5.    Essays
6.    Music Compositions
7.    Songs
8.    Computer Programs
9.    Playwrights
10.    Screenplays
11.    Radio Performances
12.    Films
13.    TV Shows
14.    Photographs

It essentially ensures that no one can steal someone else’s creation – no matter what it is or how it was created.

All of these aspects of intellectual property can be protected by a quality IP attorney. So then the question remains:

How Do I Find a Good IP Attorney?

Obviously in the legal industry there is a process. There would have to be. The industry is so huge that there are numerous facets of law to rule out:

1.    Bankruptcy Law
2.    Aviation Law
3.    Internet Law
4.    Personal Injury Law
5.    Criminal Law
6.    Divorce Law
7.    Adoption Law
8.    Tax Law
9.    Court Martial Law
10.    Property Law
11.    Business Law
12.    Insurance Law
13.    Estate Planning Law
14.    Probate Law
15.    Malpractice Law

The list really goes on and on. The law puts the world into everything. So it makes sense that a prospective client would be intimidating when trying to tackle the legal industry and figure out where to look for some IP attorneys.

The good thing is that the entire legal industry is openly partitioned.

That simply means you’ll know from looking around that all legal niches are separate. Law firms generally specialize in one type of niche. For instance:

1.    Bankruptcy Law Firms
2.    Criminal Law Firms
3.    Family Law Firms
4.    Personal Injury Law Firms

Your basic task is to find some good “Intellectual Property” law firms. And this is the process to do that:

1.    The Right Kind of Research
2.    Scheduling All Free Consultations
3.    And Hiring the Right Lawyer for the Job

With this, IP attorneys are just around the corner. But knowing which one’s right for your particular intellectual property – whether it’s a trademark, patent, trade secret, or copyright – that’s the key.

Starting With the Research :IP Attorneys

With the right kind of research, you can easily find a good list of IP attorneys to choose from. And for sure you’re going to want to choose. This is what makes the right ‘kind’ of research.

Don’t simply open up the Yellow Pages and find the first listing to hire. Get a shortlist of at least three possible IP attorneys. And get all the contact information you can:

1.    Lawyer’s Full Name
2.    Office Location
3.    E-Mail Address
4.    Phone Number
5.    Web Site URL

And be sure to get the actual names of those IP attorneys, because you want to make sure you find those certain lawyers that have specific experience with the kind of intellectual property you have.

Once you’ve got that all down, you can peruse the internet and find out all kinds of things about your prospective IP attorneys, such as:

1.    Reviews
2.    Testimonials
3.    News Articles
4.    Facebook Comments
5.    LinkedIn Referrals
6.    Twitter Updates
7.    Manta Notifications

Dig up as much as you can. It’ll give you a tremendous idea of which lawyer to hire out of your handful of IP attorneys. Not as much as this next step, though:

The Free Consultation :IP Attorney

This is where your separate the ‘good’ from the ‘great.’ It’s basically like a job interview. The client asks the questions.

It’s invaluable, because no web site or book can tell you about a lawyer as much as actually meeting with that lawyer. It’s a business ‘relationship.’ It should be treated as such.

When all is said and done and all the questions have been asked, you should be ready to hire the right lawyer for the job.

Making Your Intellectual Property Truly Yours :IP Attorneys

So be sure to hire the right lawyer. It’s well worth it. Because in all honesty, you have to remember this one important piece of truth:


Basic questions to ask IP Attorneys
• Ask your What can I expect from the legal process?
• Ask IP Attorneyhow long you expect this case to last?
• Ask IP Attorneyabout the expenses I be expecting? Advance of the cost can be made of any of them?
• Ask IP Attorneyhow often the bill will be sent?
• Ask IP Attorneyhow will I be informed about any progress made in my case?
• Ask IP Attorneywill he/she be solely in charge of my case alone or use the help of your associates and paralegals?
What you create is priceless.