Are you protecting your company's intellectual property?

As a business owner, you have undoubtedly made large investments in security to protect your tangible assets from theft.  And, just in case a clever thief evades your security systems, you have insurance on physical business assets like equipment, vehicles and computers. But …

What are you doing to protect your business’ intangible assets?

You would never leave one of your vehicles parked on the street unlocked with the keys in the ignition, would you? Yet you probably have much more valuable intangible assets – such as manufacturing processes, product designs, and trademarks – which have been left totally unprotected!

Don’t wait until it’s too late!

Just as there are security systems available to protect your physical property, so there are legal methods available to protect your intellectual property. Intellectual property protection includes patents, trademarks and copyrights. Patents on your manufacturing processes or product designs will prevent your competitors from copying or reverse engineering your technology and know-how. Registered trademarks on your business name and logo will stop the competition from using similar names and logos to confuse customers. Registered copyrights on your advertising brochures and websites will eliminate “copycat” ads that divert customers to your competitors.

Be aware, however, that your right to secure these intellectual property protections can be forever lost if you wait too long. The old adage holds true for intellectual property rights:

You snooze, you lose!

If you’ve read this far, just now you might be saying to yourself: “Sure, this protection is worth getting, but in the current economic circumstances, my business just can’t afford to invest in it.” But the fact is that, especially in the current economy, you can’t afford not to! Consider the following example:

Several years ago, Reliable Gasket Company developed a new method of making gaskets that saves time and cuts costs by minimizing waste material. The only people in the Company who know the details of the method are the owner Joe and his two shift supervisors, Bill and Mike, both of whom have been with the company for over 20 years. But since the big recession hit, Joe has had to cut back to one shift and let Mike go.   After Mike’s unemployment checks ran out, he set up Dependable Gasket Company, which uses the same gasket-cutting process Mike learned while he worked for Joe. After losing half of his customers to Mike, Joe has finally looked into patenting his invention, only to find out that he’s lost his patent rights because too much time has passed since he began using the new process to manufacture his gaskets.

Don’t let this happen to you! Intellectual property protection is easier and more affordable than you may think.

The law office of Thomas J. Germinario provides quality, cost-effective patent, trademark and copyright representation that’s geared to fit the tight budgets of small businesses like yours.   In addition to being a licensed Patent Attorney, Mr. Germinario is also a licensed Professional Engineer. He has both the legal and technical knowledge needed to analyze your business’ intangible assets and determine the types of intellectual property protection that best meet your specific needs. As part of the promotional effort extended to the business owners who have received this mailing, Mr. Germinario is now offering a no-cost, no-commitment, telephone consultation.

To set up your free consultation simply call 908-879-0091, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .