Do you have a brilliant idea but are afraid it could be compromised by malicious outsiders and would-be thieves? You’ll want to check out trademark attorney services — from design patent law firms to general trademark counseling, there are a plethora of useful resources you can tap into in order to protect your intellectual property. How long you can reasonably own an idea to what kind of intellectual property you can deem as yours will all be analyzed by trademark attorney services. If you’re not sure how to go about contacting a patent lawyer or simply want to learn more about this form of protection, keep reading below to learn a little more.
Copyright Over The Ages
Trademark attorney services have been around for as long as society has. From the ancient Romans to the more modern United States, there has always been some form of legal protection meant to safeguard the ideas of people. The cost to obtain a patent back in the late 1700’s was between $4 and $5, considered a little pricey for the time — from the relatively recent 1998 to 2010, the number of annual U.S. patent applications have doubled to more than 500,000. In the early 1900’s the U.S. Patent Office granted more than 400 patents per person for Americans, with 2010 and onward granted as many as 120,000 grants every single year. How does this affect long-term copyright and ownership over the decades?
Long-Term Copyright
It’s important to remember that copyright protection is a rather limited term — for example, works created after January 1st in 1978 can last for only 70 years after the death of an author. Works ‘made for hire’ (a catch-all term for the usual type of work owned by small businesses) have a copyright that lasts for a term of 95 years from its initial date of publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, depending on whichever one expires first.
Modern American Issues
The Internet has been a significant boon for many — it has provided an incredible amount of information at the mere click of a button, making communication and sharing easier than ever before. The downside, however, is that it has made stealing intellectual property and improperly distributing products easier, as well. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Intellectual Property Center has calculated the worth of intellectual property in the United States, adding up to a rather impressive $5 trillion overall.
Copyright Infringement
Copyright laws have been undergoing significant change over the years due to constant infringement. According to studies conducted by the Council of State Governments, the U.S. economy has lost $58 billion every single year to copyright infringement alone. This includes, but is not limited to, a loss of revenue to copyright owners, tax revenue and damages. Another example is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has estimated 15% or more of the pharmaceuticals entering the United States being fake. With all of these factors to take into account, how can you keep yourself covered?
Contacting A Patent Lawyer
If you want to protect your idea as well as your livelihood, you need to seek out trademark attorney services. They will walk you through all the specifics of how your concepts can be protected under law, from a novel you want to publish to a new engineering feat that has not yet seen the light of day. A utility patent term generally lasts for 20 y ears and is always measured from the application priority filing date, while a term of design patent is 14 years. Contact your local trademark attorney services and see how they can’t help make your dream a reality.
