Thanks to Sparkle my wife and I are soon to launch two websites. We are located in Ohio, USA.
Before we launch we need to protect some intellectual property and are therefore looking for an attorney who practices intellectual property law.
I suspect that some community members have been down this road and am hoping they might have suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
Marty
Can you be more specific - is it copyright protection or something that may fall under patent or trademark legislation.
Sure, firstly trademark and then possibly copyright.
Best,
Marty
Trademark registration is best handled by a lawyer due to its complexity. However, copyright is much simpler. For creative works, formal registration isn’t necessary as it’s automatically protected in 180 countries under the Berne Convention. To establish ownership, you need to prove you’re the creator. For printable works, simply publishing them suffices. Self-publishing platforms offer this service, often with free ISBNs. While publishing on platforms like Amazon or Lulu is free, you’ll need to purchase a copy for your records. Ensure the work indicates your copyright ownership and includes a publication date. Selling isn’t necessary; it’s just a cost-effective way to establish ownership. This method is particularly beneficial for those living in countries without copyright registration facilities or for those looking to save costs even in countries where such facilities exist. Certainly, registration, even where it is available, isn’t a requirement when bringing an infringement action.
In relationship to the website content, code itself? Or something being shown or sold through the website?
I’m going to forward your request to a lawyer who deals with trademarks, copyrights, and intellectual property. He’s been a Mac database user (Helix) since the 80s. You can find his site at keganlaw.com.
Chuck
Some of the prior replies should be helpful; some seem to miss the practical balance and inherent tradeoffs, especially for small startups, among short term and longer perspectives and resourrce constraints. There are basic laws, exceptions, exceptions to exceptions; while USA and many foreign jurisditions have similar intellectual property laws, there are differences, that might not matter fo r you or might cause nasty, costly, problems. A stitch in time can save time and costs, if placed in the correct place. See our website, <www.KeganLaw.com>, if interested email me voyer@keganlaw.com, Daniel Kegan
Thanks Chuck. Will check out his site.
Hi Daniel. Am looking at your site now.
OMG. I used Helix when it first came out in 1984. Amazing software. At the time it was an uphill battle to use a Mac in the government workplace. They were still using COBOL. I might download the earlier versions to use on my iMac running High Sierra.