How do I know if I own Intellectual Property?
Simply put....you probably do! This can be as simple as a thought or a complex website. If your an entrepreneur, artist, singer, photographer or business owner you probably own intellectual property and do not realize it. Intellectual Property often overlap in the area of business trade secrets and includes items like copyrighted written works such as pamphlets, advertising documents, books and songs, photographs and other artistic works. Other items like the logo a business uses or the name of a business can be trademarked or registered as a service mark depending on use. A lot of times entrepreneurs and artists do not realize they actually own intellectual property, but it's not only important to recognize what you own but to protect it properly. Does you teach a specific program to clients? You probably own intellectual property that should be protected. Is your blog subscriber list growing constantly? Your subscriber list may be intellectual property. That means your business may be worth more than you think. With that being said, it's important to protect your intellectual property. Business owners, artists, musicians, photographers, entrepreneurs and writers work with attorneys in the areas of copyright, trademark and patent law when protecting intellectual property.