Recent Feedback
I've created my first product - a deck of cards with questions. How do I copyright the product to prevent theft of intellectual capital?
Hello and thank you for your question. Registration of your cards for copyright protection can be accomplished online at http://www.copyright.gov/. You will need to provide an electronic copy of the cards and pay a registration fee. Please note that copyright will only protect your particular expression of an idea (i.e. wording of the questions), not the idea itself or any functionality associated with your product.
Hi, thanks for the response. So what would happen if someone stole the idea? The purpose of the cards are for Financial Advisors to use them with their clients/prospects to help facilitate conversations. What if a large brokerage firm stole the idea and produced on their own for their own Financial Advisors? Thanks. Eileen
To protect the functionality of your idea, you may want to consider a patent in addition to registering for a copyright. While the patent process is quite a bit more expensive and complex, a patent will provide strong protection of your idea for a long period of time (20yrs). It is advisable to consult with a local attorney in your area specializing in patent law to determine if this is a viable option for your idea.
Thanks so much. Have a great day.
Experience: Specializing in patent prosecution, trademark and copyright registration/enforcement.
Hello , Thank you for using Just Answer and for accepting the answer provided. I hope the information was useful to you. If I can be of assistance in the future please feel free to ask me a question directly at http://www.justanswer.com/law/expert-ip-attorney/. Thank you again, IPesq