Review IP Strategies

Why is this Important? To protect your idea from potential competitors. While patents are much less common for software products, aspects of your Solution can be protected via other vehicles such as Copyrights, Trademarks, or Trade Secrets.

Key Actions	Things to Consider	Tool Kit
Determine if your idea can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted	Is your product or service a novel technology or a collection of trade secrets? Perform a preliminary “freedom to operate” analysis to confirm that your Solution does not infringe on existing patents/trademarks/copyrights/etc.	Consultation from Legal Service Providers University of Washington Entrepreneurial Law Clinic
If applicable, document your idea and file appropriate paperwork	It is possible to do it yourself, but you may need and want to have legal support if pursuing a patent. You should file a provisional patent early and before disclosing any patentable technology publically Additional provisional patents may need to be filed at the time that you determine the final product You have one year from the date of filing a provisional patent to file the conversion application, which is required to obtain a real (utility) patent. 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.	US Copyright Office

Key Actions

Things to Consider

Tool Kit

Determine if your idea can be patented, trademarked, or copyrighted

Is your product or service a novel technology or a collection of trade secrets?

Perform a preliminary “freedom to operate” analysis to confirm that your Solution does not infringe on existing patents/trademarks/copyrights/etc.

Consultation from Legal Service Providers

University of Washington Entrepreneurial Law Clinic

If applicable, document your idea and file appropriate paperwork

It is possible to do it yourself, but you may need and want to have legal support if pursuing a patent.

You should file a provisional patent early and before disclosing any patentable technology publically
Additional provisional patents may need to be filed at the time that you determine the final product
You have one year from the date of filing a provisional patent to file the conversion application, which is required to obtain a real (utility) patent.

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.

US Copyright Office

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