Learn How to Secure Your Business's Competitive Edge, It's Intellectual Property.
Your business's intellectual property is your competitive edge, protect it at all costs. Intellectual property is the foundation of innovation, creativity, and the driving force behind many of the world's most successful companies. Whether you're a small franchise owner or a large corporation, protecting your intellectual property is essential for the growth and success of your business.
From copyrighted software to trademarked logos, intellectual property can take many forms and is a vital tool for protecting the ideas, creations, and innovations that make your business unique. Explore the importance of intellectual property and the steps you can take to protect your business' creative works.
Here are a few steps you can take to get your product copyrighted:
Determine if your product is eligible for copyright protection. Copyright protection applies to original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form, such as literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, as well as certain other types of works.
Create a complete and accurate record of your product. This should include detailed descriptions of the product, as well as any relevant drawings, designs, or other documentation.
Search for existing copyrighted works that may be similar to your product. This will help you to avoid infringement on existing copyrights and will also give you an idea of what types of works are eligible for copyright protection.
File a copyright application with the United States Copyright Office. The application should include a copy of your product, as well as a detailed description of the work and any other relevant documentation. The copyright office will review your application and if it meets all the requirements, will issue a copyright registration for your product.
Once your product is copyrighted, it's important to place a copyright notice on your product to give notice to the public that your product is protected by copyright. This notice should include the copyright symbol ( © ), the year of first publication and the name of the copyright owner.
Lets travel to 2009 where a business owner getting a copyright for the mobile app Angry Birds, copyrighted its popular game in 2009. The company, Rovio Entertainment, created the game "Angry Birds" which quickly became a global phenomenon, with millions of downloads and merchandise sales.
In order to protect their intellectual property and prevent others from copying their game, Rovio Entertainment filed for a copyright registration for "Angry Birds" with the United States Copyright Office. The application included a detailed description of the game, along with the source code, graphics, and other elements of the game. The Copyright Office reviewed the application and found that the game met all the requirements for copyright protection. "Angry Birds" was issued a copyright registration, which gave Rovio Entertainment the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and display the game.
The success of "Angry Birds" led to numerous spin-off games, merchandise and even a feature film, and Rovio Entertainment was able to protect their brand and prevent others from using the copyrighted game or elements from it without permission. This example illustrates how important it is for companies to protect their digital products with copyright, it can help them to safeguard their intellectual property and to prevent others from profiting from their work without permission.
Notably, the game is considered to be one of the most successful mobile games of all time, with over 4 billion downloads worldwide and multiple spin-off games, merchandise, and even a feature film. In 2012, the company generated $106 million in revenue, and by 2019, it was reported that the company's net worth exceeded $1 billion.
So when you spark your next invention just remember to keep in mind that copyright protection is automatic when a work is created and fixed in a tangible form but registration with the Copyright Office gives some additional benefits, like the ability to sue for infringement, eligibility for certain statutory damages, and the ability to record the registration with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prevent importation of infringing copies. Don't let your hard work and creativity go to waste, take the necessary steps to protect your intellectual property and secure your business's future success.
About Altered State Productions
We are a groundbreaking creative media marketing agency. From concept to completion, we see media marketing as an art form that drives our creativity and brings your vision to life. By maximizing brand identity by utilizing photography, web, video, advertising, 3D designs, animation, graphic design, sound, social media, and anything you can creatively envision to market products and services in the competitive landscape, our team of professionals can craft the right message of authenticity and experience with Our Sight—your Vision.
