Examples of Intellectual Property Cases

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You had the idea ever since you were a kid. But of course you didn’t have the resources needed to create your dream invention. But as you got older you saved up and finally accumulated the resources needed to make your invention. You hired craftsmen and after years of planning and making changes, your dream was finally realized. You knew in your heart that people would buy your recognized idea. So once it was done you went to the Patent Office and submitted it for protection. But then, before you started marketing your invention, late one night, you saw a TV commercial and there it was! The exact same item that it took you your entire life to get ready for sale. And you noticed that the name of the company was the same as one of the craftsman that you hired to put it together.

Or maybe you just opened a new company. And you thought carefully about making a logo that would differentiate your company from your competitors and appear pleasing to the eye. So you made a rough sketch of it and brought it to a graphic design studio. They made some samples and you finally decided the one you liked best and paid for their services. You went online to the United States Patent and Trademark Office Website and had your design authorized as a registered trademark. It was a good feeling so you printed up stationary and business cards and were prepared to begin operations. But when you went to one of your soon to be suppliers, you noticed their stationary had a very similar logo on it resembling yours. The stationary never displayed it before when you went there previously. When you casually asked the secretary who designed the logo you found out it was the same graphic designer that you hired to put your idea into hard copy!

Or perhaps you had an idea for a new device that did something that never existed before. You spent a lot of money using various contractors to put it together until it was finished and met your specifications. You paid them all to do so. You gave them diagrams and instructions of how you wanted it to look and work. Once completed and was ready for manufacture, you filed for a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and were granted it and thought you were ready to market your invention. But when you went to a local store a few months later; there it was; YOUR invention, ready for sale. You did some research and found out that one of the contractors that were now selling the invention had worked in assisting putting YOUR invention together was affiliated with the company that was now selling it.

And then there’s the case when you were in business and you hired an employee as your right hand man. Because you knew that privileged information would be available to him you had them sign a non-compete contract. But after a while, he left your company and went to work for one of your competitors. As time went by you started losing your customer base finding out that your x-employee made a copy of your client list and shared it with his new employer.

In all of these cases, if the intellectual property that was your idea was registered and accepted by Copyright, Trademark or Patent, you would have the right to institute a lawsuit. In the last instance you’d be able to sue both your x-employee and his new employer for Unfair Business Competition.

I have handled many intellectual Property matters just like this through the litigation stages both in the state and federal court. If you have problems just like the ones I’ve described call me. I can help you.