Author Archives: mwillee

 

Trade secret lawsuits are not uncommon, but a recent lawsuit has caught the attention of the mainstream media. Louis Vuitton North America has gone to court in New York, alleging that a former VP transferred sensitive files from her company laptop onto external storage devices before resigning to take a position with Coach, a luxuryContinue reading “Louis Vuitton Goes to Court with Lawsuit Over Trade Secrets”

The stealing of trade secrets is such a big problem that the government has been going around in circles trying to fix the issue. With concerns made clear from the Obama Administration and attempts to use international diplomacy to stop trade secret hacks, Congress seems to finally be stepping up to provide more federal IPContinue reading “Proposed Defend Trade Secrets Act for Federal IP Protection”

Intellectual property (IP) is the untapped potential of a business that, if left unharnessed, is completely wasted, but when properly managed can be a goldmine. Yet time and again startups and entrepreneurs, despite having a basic understanding of IP, tend to avoid creating an effective IP strategy. An average startup with financial constraints will notContinue reading “Intellectual Property Best Practices: 10 Steps to Maximize Your IP”

Last week’s Traklight on Forbes series highlighted four fantastic tips on a startup’s most valuable assets in her blog titled “Summer Refresher: ABCs Of Intellectual Property.”  Check back every week for more content. Thanks for reading! In response to the recent New York Times article, “Why More Start-Ups Are Sharing Ideas Without Legal Protection,” Mary notes thatContinue reading “Forbes Update: Should Startups Really Skip Legal Protection?”

Trademark protection is region specific. No matter how well-known a product is in a particular market, when it expands into new domain, there is no guarantee you will be able to use the same name. The hit TV show Glee was recently ordered by a UK court to change its name after Comic Enterprises, ownerContinue reading “Glee Not Happy about Losing Trademark Dispute in Britain”

Previously in our Traklight Trakers series, we introduced to you Ashley Hoesktra. Today’s feature is Maddie. Emily: What did you learn about IP before you started at Traklight?Maddie: I’ve never learned much past some experiences here and there where copyright infringement suits affect what I’m able and unable to view online, and how some companies areContinue reading “Meet Maddie, Traklight’s Marketing Specialist”

Previously in our Intellectual Property (IP) Best Practices series, we introduced step four to managing your IP: code of conduct. Please check back every Monday for the next step in this series. Some information is best kept limited to certain key employees. The more employees that have access to intellectual property (IP), the higher theContinue reading “IP Best Practices: Limit Access to Sensitive Information, Step 5”

Steve Jobs was secretive about what Apple did, and for good reason. There are people out there who would like to steal your intellectual property (IP)–competitors who would love to emulate what you have spent years to create or mold into the business idea that you own. Don’t give them that chance; it’s up toContinue reading “Using Copyright Law to Protect Intellectual Property”

Last week’s Traklight on Forbes series featured an interview on “Crowdfunding and IP: Tips From An Entrepreneurial Attorney” with Michael S. Melfi of Melfi & Associates. Check back every week for more content. Thanks for reading!