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Dear Founders: Here Are Three IP Mistakes to Watch-Out For

Scott Edward Walker

Over the past six months, my firm has been engaged by a number of startups with significant intellectual property (“IP”) problems. In a couple of cases, the founders played lawyer on their own; in the other cases, the founders either used (i) a Web service that did not address IP issues or (ii) an inexperienced law firm.

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Startups and IP Ownership Issues

Scott Edward Walker

For many startups, intellectual property (IP) is their most valuable asset. Below are the three most common IP-related mistakes that startups make — the first of which I discuss in this brief video with Jason Calacanis. Mistake #2 – Not Assigning to the Company Any IP Created Pre-Incorporation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqL3Xm5iUCY

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Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 3: The Best Defense is a Good IP Strategy

Steve Blank

Early on in my career I took a “we’re moving too fast to deal with lawyers” attitude to patents and Intellectual Property (IP.) Type of IP. _. Under California law, employers may own inventions that are “related to employer’s reasonably anticipated R&D.” For some of these assets, you get protection automatically.

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Why Entrepreneurs Must Learn to Love Paperwork  

The Startup Magazine

Intellectual property (IP) is often among the most valuable assets for a company, even if it doesn’t seem that way on the surface. Business paperwork helps you protect your IP, whether it starts out as nothing more than a company name and logo or comprises incredibly sophisticated code that is the heart of your revolutionary app.

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The Next Entrepreneurs And Startups

YoungUpstarts

So although the business idea may be the harder part, something as common as knowing how to form an LLC in California remains as easy as clicking. Reaching out to experts and soliciting advice to protect your valuable IP will help you maximize your assets effectively.

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How to Work with Lawyers at a Startup

Both Sides of the Table

Shame about not getting it in legal writing that you owned the original IP. Founded it as a California LLC but your potential VC wants a Delaware C-Corp? For company registration, angel deals, Series A & B funding, Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOP), IP filings and even litigation it doesn’t need to be that way.

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Most Common Early Start-up Mistakes

Both Sides of the Table

To the best of my knowledge US law allows you to work on your own resources and in your own hours and let you personally own your IP. I don’t know 100% that this is true in all 50 states (if any lawyers read this please put notes in comments section) but I’m pretty darn sure that this is statuary law in California.