Outline Competitive Advantage
Why Is This Important?: With the company formed, you want to formally protect your IP if possible and establish your plan to build on it in the future.
| Key Actions | Things to Consider | Tool Kit |
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| File patent(s), if appropriate | Multiple provisional applications can be combined into a single full application at the first provisional 1-year date
It is possible to do this yourself, but you may need and want legal support Brainstorm on how to get around your patents & file provisional patents to block those workarounds If you wanted to re-invent your offering, how would you get around your patent? |
University of Washington Entrepreneurial Law Clinic
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| Establish additional copyrights or trademarks, if appropriate | Copyrights exist from the time a work is made permanent, but should be registered with US Copyright Office to ensure a record and secure additional enforcement rights. | |
| Document any practices considered to be Trade Secrets | ||
| Outline your market/competitive advantage and the strategy for “Stickiness” | Make a convincing argument that your product/service will be adequately protected and has a market advantage
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