New Media Rights latest multi-part series for Forbes is all about enforcing your intellectual property rights responsibly. There are many types of legal disputes that you might encounter when you own intellectual property. While there is no definitive formula to solving every type of legal dispute, there are things you can keep in mind the next time you find yourself in a bind.
The first part of the series addresses copyright disputes, and breaks down some of the do’s and don’ts of handling infringement effectively. Often copyright owners don’t know what to do when they believe that someone is infringing on their work.
“Despite what you’ve seen on TV, showy speeches and nasty lawyer letters are often the worst way to resolve a copyright dispute.” Rather, it is often the creative methods that are the most effective at combating copyright infringement.
The second part of the series is about trademark disputes, and outlines some key tips and action steps for enforcing your trademarks responsibly. If you’re a business owner, you should know what kind of protection your trademarks get you, how to maintain that protection, and when to take action against someone else.
“Although as a trademark owner you do have to defend your trademark to keep it, there is a big difference between enforcing your trademark so it doesn’t become generic and trying to squash every potential use of your trademark.” Trademark over-enforcement has become a bit of an epidemic, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
You can read part 1 and part 2 of the Responsible Enforcement series at Forbes.com, and stay tuned for our upcoming part 3 of the series on Defamation. Check out other Forbes articles form New Media Rights here, including articles on topics like copyright, trademark, trade secrets, patents, music licenses, navigating a lawsuit (part 1 and 2) and the importance of branding choices.
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