article thumbnail

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.) At one of my entrepreneurship classes at Stanford, Dan Dorosin , of Fenwick & West LLP guest lectures about startups and Intellectual Property. Intellectual Property.

article thumbnail

The Top 5 Intellectual Property Mistakes

Up and Running

Please consult with an attorney before making any intellectual property or other legal decisions. Read on to see five common mistakes regarding intellectual property, so you can avoid the pitfalls. 100% of businesses have Intellectual Property (IP). Patents are the only intellectual property.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 2: They Raised Money With My.

Steve Blank

As we were out looking for our Series B round, our company had gotten the attention of “name of big VC firm here” who wanted a play in enterprise software. And we figured that unless litigation was going to be our business strategy, NDA’s would have inhibited the back-and-forth that made us smarter. Are These Your Slides?

article thumbnail

Defending Groundbreaking Ideas From Killer Competition

YoungUpstarts

One of the most effective ways to protect your intellectual property is to patent it. If you trademark your company’s name , you can establish additional protection in the case of a legal dispute. Contact an experienced legal representative to advise you about how to proceed and keep your intellectual property secure.

article thumbnail

The Importance of Partnership Agreements, NDAs, and Security: Lessons from HBO’s “Silicon Valley”

Up and Running

What we at Traklight often take note of is the many different intellectual property issues that the show touches on. Even from the outset, Pied Piper had problems related to IP, with the founder having to beg a local irrigation company for the rights to the company name. See Also: Why You Should Care about Intellectual Property.

article thumbnail

The Ultimate Inventor’s Guide to Inventing Things

Up and Running

If you do have competition, pay special attention to your product name, price range, materials used, what the product claims to do, packaging, and who the manufacturer is. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a great resource to help you learn more about intellectual property. The non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

article thumbnail

Startup Myths #1 – You Need an NDA

chrissundberg.com

Startup Myths #1 – You Need an NDA. You Need an NDA. The Myth: You need an NDA to protect your intellectual property. The Truth: A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) can be a useful document. I sign an NDA. The bottom line is that an NDA can provide you with valuable protection. Apps I <3.

NDA 40