Questions regarding all matters related to ownership and rights to intangible assets such as art, software, designs, etc.
306
votes
27answers
138k views
If I'm working at a company, do they have intellectual property rights to the stuff I do in my spare time?
I was interviewed by a lady from Zynga and she told me that Zynga doesn't allow developers to have side projects. Is this true for companies in general, or just a minority that Zynga is a part of? ...
15
votes
7answers
2k views
Is it worth it to register a trademark for a software product that I am developing?
I am working on a new software product, it is a web-based contact manager and I would like to know if I should register the name as a trademark? is it worth it? and if so, should I do it myself or ...
12
votes
7answers
19k views
Can I use the logos of other companies on my site?
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but can I use the logos of other services and companies on my site? Ie, if I wanted to put up a graphic of some services that relate to local internet marketing, ...
3
votes
1answer
202 views
Example of Agreement (template) with Company for doing stuff in spare time
According to related topic:
If I'm working at a company, do they have intellectual property rights to the stuff I do in my spare time?
(and related : Intellectual Property and Side-Projects in ...
1
vote
2answers
200 views
How do I get a trademark on a logo and slogan when I have no money?
I have an idea for two great logos and slogans that I would sell to two different companies if I could afford to get them secured through a reputable attorney. I have an attorney in mind. Is it a good ...
37
votes
11answers
5k views
What if Google+ stole my idea? Can I do anything about it? Should I?
From around March 2009 to October 2009, my sister and I built a website and dubbed it our "first startup": Jumpino.com. Truthfully, it was hardly a startup: we had no capital, no way of monetizing, ...
7
votes
10answers
3k views
How do you protect the key features of your product without a patent?
I'm working on improving an old web based product but afraid that my idea will be copied by the bigger players. For example, let's say I build an improved a web-based task management software but ...
8
votes
3answers
391 views
Somebody got a trademark for a domain I own. I am planning to launch my service in a week
I have a domain name, (lets call it XYZ.com) which I have owned for about an year and a related service that I have been developing for about an year too. I just searched the trademark database, and ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
To what extent are algorithms patentable, especially in the US and Europe?
I'd like to use an algorithm that has been published. It's not a must have for me, but would be convenient. The creator might be difficult to contact, but that's obviously not a reason to do the ...
4
votes
2answers
291 views
How long should you keep your idea a secret?
I am a graduating senior in college studying computer science and machine learning. For the past year, I have been working with two other people on what we think is a pretty fantastic idea, offering a ...
6
votes
5answers
590 views
Trademarks: do I need to register them in every country?
We are selling a product internationally through our e-commerce based in Hong Kong and were wondering if our Hong Kong trademarks have any legal power in other jurisdictions.
If not, do we really ...
7
votes
2answers
307 views
When looking for a technical co-founder, how to protect IP?
I understand the process of looking for a technical co-founder may involve interviewing several people, some of which won't be a good fit, or won't have the right credentials or life situation, etc. ...
3
votes
1answer
198 views
Intellectual Property and Side-Projects in Western Europe
Joel's answer on "If I'm working at a company, do they have intellectual property rights to the stuff I do in my spare time?" certainly was an interesting read. However, it was pretty much centred ...
10
votes
3answers
285 views
How should a startup deal with existing, ambiguous patents?
I've been thinking about a new idea I want to work on. After searching the USPTO, I found that there are many (hundreds) of patents around what I am wanting to work on, with a slew being very similar ...
7
votes
2answers
286 views
Are patents worth investing in?
We have got patents for specific technologies in the past, they cost a lot and the value was not really visable.
We often develop specific algorithms for real-time systems and work with a range of ...
4
votes
2answers
178 views
Copyright/IP of sudokus
I have recently learned how to do constraint processing and I figured out how to generate sudoku puzzles. I thought it would be interesting/fun to create an interactive website for these puzzles. I ...
4
votes
4answers
3k views
Joint Software Development Agreement – how to set up IP ownership?
I’ll be entering into a joint development software project with 2 other companies. I’m considering how best to deal with the intellectual property ownership.
I suppose one company could be the ...
1
vote
1answer
128 views
Side projects while being a co-founder and officer of a company
There is already an awesome question and answers on IP and spare time related to employees:
If I'm working at a company, do they have intellectual property rights to the stuff I do in my spare ...
1
vote
4answers
1k views
How to Copyright a Marketing Idea
I have a few marketing idea that I have done some research on and have not been able to find other people who have done them. Since I am not in any businesses that could use the idea I wanted to sell ...
0
votes
2answers
133 views
Licensed software and due diligence: sufficient?
In the process of due diligence for an investment or for M&A, I ask:
Considering that all other software is property of the company, is it sufficient to have a non-core part of the software, ...
