Insights

Understanding the essentials of IP can help your startup avoid common mistakes and ensure that your intellectual property is safeguarded.

Ensuring your valuable innovation does not end up in the hands of your competition requires more than good intentions and NDAs. A clear, enforceable intellectual property (IP) policy that aligns with your business strategy will support growth and success. This guide explains what an IP policy is and the 10 key elements it should cover.

A Freedom to Operate (FTO) search is a critical step for startups. Without proper checks, you could unknowingly infringe on someone else’s intellectual property (IP), resulting in legal threats or a costly rebrand. This guide explains what an FTO search is, why it matters, how it’s done, and the real-world consequences of skipping it.

Understanding the differences between patents, trademarks, and copyright in New Zealand can help you effectively protect your IP and avoid legal and financial risks.

Intellectual property (IP) is one of your business’s most valuable assets. Yet many companies — often without realising it — leave their innovations exposed. A new product concept, a software tool, or proprietary research can quickly lose its value if not adequately protected.

Is Your Brand Name a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen? Naming your business is one of the most exciting early steps, but it’s also one of the riskiest if done without care. A name that turns heads can also attract legal trouble if it overlaps with an existing trademark.

When protecting a brand, businesses frequently face the dilemma of whether to register their trade marks as word marks or logo marks. This decision greatly influences the extent of protection and the brand’s future adaptability.

Intellectual property disputes can be costly, and not just financially. They can swallow up time at the highest levels and impact opportunities. Let’s take a look at some common issues that crop up in IP disputes to paint a picture of their complexity and show how to avoid them.

Any patent attorney can create a patent application based on the information an inventor shares, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll provide commercially valuable protection.