Intellectual property issues for start ups

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Intellectual property issues for start-ups Ioannis Iglezakis, Assistant Professor, Aristotle University

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In a startup, Intellectual Property (IP) or intangible assets are often more than 90% of the value of the company and therefore, a carefully planned strategy for IP protection is necessary

Transcript of Intellectual property issues for start ups

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Intellectual property issues for start-upsIoannis Iglezakis, Assistant Professor,Aristotle University

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The Importance of IPR for Start-ups Intellectual Property (IP) or intangible

assets are often more than 90% of the value of the company

A company that does not develop any IP will find it hard to attract investors.

IP helps companies to secure financing, using IP as collateral.

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Intellectual Property Patents Copyright Trademarks Trade secrets

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Patents Patents are granted in respect of

inventions which are new, which involve an inventive step and which are susceptible of industrial application.

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Patents Patent protection is particularly

important for a start-up to protect its business and its invention from competitors and simultaneously, and to avoid the risk of facing claims of patent infringement by competitors and third parties.

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Copyright

Copyright grants protection to authors, artists and other creators for their literary and artistic creations, commonly referred to as works.

Inexpensive protection.

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Trademarks Trademarks are distinctive signs, i.e.

words, names, symbols, slogans, etc., that identify certain goods or services produced or provided by a company.

A trademark when associated with a successful product or service it becomes an asset or prime value to a company.

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Trade secrets secret business information,

technological know-how, ideas for new products and markets, information about customers, finance, etc.

Examples in the high tech area include customer lists, source code, semiconductor manufacturing processes, etc

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Specific Issues Failure of a license for IP developed by

the founders or by contractors may lead to legal disputes.

Lack of a strategy for patent protection of products or services.

Careful choice of trademarks. Errors in licensing Use of trade secrets or other IP from

previous employees Open source software

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Conclusion A start-up should exercise due diligence

with regard to choosing a trademark or brand name, because this can come to be a valuable asset of the company. Therefore, before adopting a trademark or a brand name one needs to conduct a search in a trademark database

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Trademark search

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Trade or business name search

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Conclusion To ensure that the IP rights of the start-

up are protected, contractual agreements should be signed with all contributors to the creation of an invention or software, excluding employees.

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Conclusion No public disclosure:

to avoid losing patentability To protect trade secrets.

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR

YOUR ATTENTION !