On the 5th of September, 2015, NSRCEL has organised a panel discussion titled ‘IP for Startups’, to help start ups and entrepreneurs understand the Dos and Don’ts of IP management and its importance in the context of business.
NSRCEL or the Nadathur S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, considered to be a hotbed for promising entrepreneurial talent, was founded in 2002, at the renowned Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB). The centre was founded with the objective to provide a…
This checklist provides some of the basic steps every start-up must take to protect its intellectual assets.
Patent Protection
Identification of inventions with potential for patent filings
Patent Search and Patentability Analysis
Inventor Assignment Agreement Execution – To transfer all rights to the start-up
Provisional or complete patent filing
Foreign Filing Permit, if required
PCT, or foreign patent filing
Patent pending notice on relevant materials
Trade Mark Protection
Shortlisting of Marks
Identification of relevant classes of business
Trademark Clearance Search…
The post below has been previously published on 9th December, 2014. Besides minor dated references, the post gives a basic understanding of how start-ups can raise funds and get investments from venture capitals and other investors, through their intellectual assets. Funding activities during the last quarter, especially when it comes to start ups, was great! Apart from the US$ 1 Billion Fundraising by Flipkart, India saw several start ups being funded at various levels. A Report indicates 93 deals…
More often than not, start-ups focus on protecting their intellectual property, but ignore risks from intellectual property of third parties. IP of third parties may kill a business if appropriate risk clearance measures are not taken at the right time. While protecting IP is very important for start-ups and entrepreneurs, avoiding or mitigating risks from IP of third parties is even more important. A start-up company must take necessary steps to avoid the risk of infringing IP of third parties.…
Copyright protects ideas expressed on a tangible form. The expression may be in the form of literary work like website content, brochure content etc, photographic work such as pictures used on website, brochures, etc, artistic work like layout of website, drawings, etc, cinematographic work such as promotional videos, support videos, etc, and so on. Protection of copyrights provides several business and competitive advantages to startups and entrepreneurs. A startup company must protect its marketing materials, documents, websites and so on…
Confidential Information is any information that has business or economic value because it is not known to others, and for which, appropriate measures are taken to protect secrecy. It can be any sort of information that fits into the said requirements. Business information, financial information, technical information, scientific information, plans, methods, client lists, designs, and any other such information that has economic value is protectable as confidential information, or trade secret. Protection of trade secrets and confidential information of a…
For a technology driven start-up or entrepreneur, patents form the most important intellectual assets. They provide the necessary exclusivity, and competitive advantage to start, build and grow the business. Patents are also considered as important assets by venture capitalists and investors before making investment decisions. So, every technology driven start-up must ensure that its technologies/inventions are properly protected under the patent regime. Once a decision on patent protection is made, the start-up company must file a patent application as soon…
Choosing the right name/business representation word, logo, device or any other form of business representation is generally the first asset created by an entrepreneur, Often, entrepreneurs finalize on a name or logo and develop strong emotional attachment to it without proper research. While it is important to be passionate about the business and its representation, every entrepreneur must take the following steps before finalizing on a business representation: Ensure that the name, logo or any other representation shortlisted is capable…
Intellectual Property protection can provide business and competitive advantage to a company. While IP is assuming high importance for all companies, its value for a start-up can be extremely high, depending on the nature of the start-up. While IP, many a time, forms the core of technology/knowledge driven start-ups based on novel ideas, the spectrum of its value varies for others. Irrespective of the nature of a start-up, IP can help in gaining business/competitive value by: Providing the much needed…
Start Ups and the Business of Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property (IP) plays a multi-dimensional role in every creative, knowledge and technology driven company and its role is more pertinent to a start up. Its potential to build a layer of competitive advantage, safeguard business vantage, raise investment, prevent misappropriation and enhance valuation, makes IP an important element of every start ups business and growth strategy. As the value of IP to a start up varies based on a multitude of factors…