3 Steps for Dealing with a Product Copyright Claim on Your Business
When you have finally got the basics out of the way, running your business can seem easy for day to day things. Shipping items to clients, talking with vendors, and working on new product creation can feel like a hobby for those who love their company. If you have been happily running your business and hit a snag, it can seem like everything get thrown to a halt. For product production companies, one of the hardest business and legal issues to tackle is another company claiming that you copied their product. Here are some ways to fight claims of reproducing another companies work.
Find the original design and copyright
To protect your business, you will need to keep adequate records. Once you receive notice of a business claiming that you stole a design, bring out all of your production records for this product or service. Having adequate records for ideation, design, and production can secure a win against this claim. Provide all paperwork from the beginning and leading up to the actual release of this product to your attorney for court.
Hire the right commercial litigation lawyer
Every business owner needs to have a commercial litigation attorney on their roster of vendors. A litigation attorney can help to determine if there is cause for the action that is filed against you. If there is not, your lawyer will be able to get the case dismissed on behalf of your business. If the claim may have merit, your attorney can do some litigation on your behalf. Many claims may be dismissed or settled well prior to needing to see a courtroom. Hire a lawyer you trust to take care of any unnecessary claims for you. If there is irrefutable proof that you could not have copied the product or service idea, a litigation attorney can disrupt all claims and allow you to proceed to do business.
Make your products more customized
If you tend to be in competition with other product production companies because you sell trendy products, making your items more customize can decrease possible litigation from competitors. Creating a signature, such as a symbol that you add to all of your products or an actual signature that you add to products. Be sure to produce all items with the signature to ensure that your products will be marked differently than others on the market. Making sure that there is something undeniably original in your designs so that when you hit the market, it never looks like another business design.
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