For non-IP professionals, IP rights may seem like a minefield in the business world that is only discovered after you step on one. People always ask me when should I get an IP attorney involved. My stock answer is the earlier the better. Knowing where the minefield is or how to navigate it can be invaluable when beginning research or product development. Often, we get called after the product is released or worse yet after an infringement accusation is received.
A few examples of the minesweeper tools that we use are: a trademark clearance search for names and logos; a copyright clearance or permissions study; open source and software license analysis; a freedom to operate or design around opinions for patents. Related searches may include an invalidity search, a landscape search or a white space search.
The primary goal of these searches and opinions is to identify potential problems and maximize the technical and legal solutions available to deal with them. In addition, the cost of these services is typically a small fraction of the investments in research, tooling, and development. And certainly less expensive than defending against an infringement claim.
If you have questions, please contact me.
