3 steps to avoiding intellectual property disputes

As a business, you need to protect your intellectual property and take care not to infringe on anyone else’s property rights. A failure to do either could lead to a complex dispute and preventing problems is generally far easier than resolving them.

Here are three steps you can take:

Check who holds the rights when working with others

Maybe you hire a designer or photographer to help you with a particular task. Or perhaps you are contracting for another entity on a specific project. Being clear about who will retain the property rights to the work produced will be crucial to avoid future problems.

Carry out thorough checks before using other people’s materials

Let’s say your company runs a blog. If you hire a marketing trainee and they post someone else’s images without their permission, it’s your company, rather than the trainer, that will have to deal with any fallout.

Consider setting up protocols so that your employees understand where they can source things and what permissions they might need to get.

Make sure you understand what you can and cannot protect

Not everything is protectable under intellectual property laws. Understanding the possibilities before investing a large amount of time and money into work can prevent you from being disappointed later if someone legally uses something.

You also need to understand the scope of protection available.  For example, what would happen if someone took your work and used it in another country or in the metaverse?

Intellectual property law is a complex area, and getting experienced legal help is advisable to avoid problems and deal with any that do arise. Contact us to see how we can help.