Intellectual property, known as IP, is simply defined as any sort of idea or work that you created via your own intellect. In other words, IP can be music you wrote, a business idea or website you created, or some sort of invention. If you created it from your own intellect, it is considered your property. However, if someone ends up stealing your IP, good luck proving it was yours unless you’ve worked to actually protect it. To ensure you aren’t a victim of IP theft, here are some ways you can protect yourself and your property.
Keep Your Secrets
Generally speaking, when IP is stolen, it’s because news about a new idea or invention leaked out. You tell someone, they tell someone, and it snowballs until some interested party figures out a way to take what rightfully belongs to you. There are certainly many other ways to protect your IP, but you need to first and foremost start with keeping things a secret until which point you’re ready to put your IP out there. Even if you’re trying to crowdfund to push your IP forward, someone can still steal it from you and beat you to the punch. Then you’re fighting court battles that are tough to win.
Hire an Investigative Team
An IP investigation is a fantastic way to protect your IP. One of the benefits of going with an investigative service is that they’re going to scan the market for you. If people out there are starting to use your idea, or push a website or product you created, etc, the investigators are going to find this and help you shut it down before it spirals out of control. This is also a great way to do market research, to ensure that you yourself are not inadvertently trying to take something to market that’s already someone else’s IP. There are just a lot of benefits gained by going with an investigative service.
Document Everything in Dated Detail
The real issue with IP theft isn’t preventing people from stealing your intellectual property, but rather having the means to get it back when they do. This is why documentation is key. You should always be making documents, and copies of those documents, and dating them regularly. This includes music, story ideas, business plans, product details, and anything else that counts as intellectual property. Document every single thing as you go. This way, if it does get stolen, you have enough proof to make remedying the situation as quick and painless as possible.
Apply for an IP Trademark
There are many reasons that IP is important to the world at large, and thus you do have different ways by which you can protect your property. Applying for a trademark, for instance, is a great way to keep ownership over what belongs to you. Now, applying for a trademark doesn’t necessarily mean you will be approved; but as long as your IP is your personal idea, then you should have no issue in getting it trademarked and thus better protecting it against theft.
Invest in Yourself
Once your IP goes from an idea to an actual finished product, it’s going to be much harder for people to steal. In fact, most thieves who steal IP in order to profit aren’t even going to look twice at a product that’s already on the market, because they know they’ll be caught and sued and possibly even face criminal charges. These thieves are always looking for fresh ideas that haven’t gone to the production phase yet. So, as soon as you’re able, make an investment in yourself and try to get your IP to market. If it’s a song, record and release some version of it. If it’s a book, make copies. The same goes for websites, new products, or anything else; invest in production and get it out there.
Conclusion
There are many different ways that you can protect your IP, but the most important thing is that you do provide some protection for yourself and your intellectual property. People can and do steal IP constantly, and if you’re unprotected, you could be next.