Intellectual Property Litigation
Intellectual Property & Trademark Attorney in Houston
In today’s fast-paced, highly digital, and global business climate, a strong trademark attorney in Houston is an ally Houston business owners can’t afford to go without. If your business relies on patents, trademarks, or careful use of trade secrets, you need a trademark attorney in Houston to help you protect the resources that drive so much of your company’s value.
The Mithoff Law trademark and intellectual property lawyers in Houston possess the experience and insight today’s businesses need to protect themselves against patent infringement, trademark disputes, theft or dissemination of trade secrets, or any contractual abuses of proprietary resources or technology.
Wondering, “Do I need a trademark attorney?” Don’t let the lifeblood of your business be stolen or abused; a trademark attorney in Houston to can help you protect your intellectual property. Contact Mithoff Law today at 713-654-1122.
“Mithoff has been one of Houston’s most respected attorneys for decades, handling such high-profile cases as the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Enron-related litigation on behalf of J.P, Morgan Chase and highly publicized bus and plant explosions.”
– Houston Chronicle, June 26, 2019
Why is intellectual property important?
Intellectual property, also known as IP, refers to any creation that came from your mind and wasn’t otherwise pre-existing. Types of intellectual property include inventions; product names, logos, and designs; literary and artistic works; and digital applications including software. Intellectual property includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets that intellectual property owners can apply for to certify ownership over their product, artwork, or concept.
The importance of intellectual property protection in entrepreneurship can’t be overstated. In today’s fast-paced business climate, unguarded ideas can result in costly missed opportunities.
An experienced intellectual property lawyer in Houston can help businesses of any size prevent their ideas from being stolen, misrepresented, or otherwise unlawfully used by competition or parties who wish to harm your business.
How a trademark attorney in Houston can help protect your business
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, trademarks can be filed to protect “words, names, symbols, sounds or colors that distinguish goods and services from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of the goods.”
When properly implemented, trademarks and intellectual property laws can help safeguard business owners against counterfeiting and brand dilution; false advertising; stolen or duplicate product name; use of your trademark in a domain name; or any other unsanctioned use of trademarked materials that could compromise your brand.
A Mithoff Law trademark attorney in Houston has the complex litigation experience you need to protect your company’s brand both online and off. Whether through careful negotiation or aggressive litigation, a Mithoff Law trademark attorney in Houston is prepared to fight for your brand by working to end the confusingly similar or unauthorized use of your trademark. We can even fight to recover any monetary damages the infringement may have caused.
Copyright protection and litigation
Copyrights are granted to full original works that go beyond a mark or symbol. Artistic works like books, songs, and films are eligible for full copyright protection beyond a trademark. As a copyright holder, you have sole discretion over when, where, and how your copyrighted work may be used—whether it be a sample of your song in a remix or a commercial or an excerpt from your book in a magazine. Copyright protection also extends to software, as the audio/visual experience of a computer program falls under “literary works” in the Copyright Act.
A copyright lawyer at Mithoff Law can use their deep knowledge of relevant statutes and trade practices to rebuff and redress any unauthorized use of you or your business’ copyrighted works and materials.
Patent litigation
Arguably the most secure form of intellectual property, a patent is a right granted by the US government to a product inventor that excludes others from creating or selling their product without prior authorization for a set period of time, no less than 20 years from the original application. There are three kinds of patents an inventor can apply for and receive:
- Utility patents: Issued for new products, inventions, or processes.
- Design patents: Issued to protect a unique appearance or design of a particular product. For instance, the Toyota Camry can have a patented design despite not being the original car or sedan.
- Plant patents: Issued for hybridization leading to new, distinct plant varieties produced asexually (reproduction by means other than seeds)
Patents are especially important to companies in energy and technology who rely on their proprietary products and processes to distinguish their offerings from those of their competitors. And as deeply experienced Houston intellectual property lawyers, the team at Mithoff Law combine deep knowledge of both patent law and specific industry practices to protect your interests and products against the competition.
Trade secret litigation
A trade secret is a type of intellectual property that provides its owner with a competitive advantage in a given market. Trade secrets usually encompass things like formulas, processes, or recipes that allow a company to craft a unique product efficiently and effectively.
Unlike patents, trademarks, and copyrights, there is no application process or mode of government registration for a trade secret. Instead, companies must work with an intellectual property lawyer to ensure their trade secrets are protected, usually in the form of binding contracts signed by employees to prevent them from sharing trade secrets with competitors or outsiders.
The owner of a trade secret may also be able to take legal action against people who obtain sensitive information through theft, spying, or bribery.
Don’t let your life’s work fall into the wrong hands: Contact a Mithoff Law trademark attorney in Houston today.
Whether you need help filing for protection of a new product or process or you need assistance protecting your intellectual property from a competitor who wishes to harm you and your business, the trial-tested intellectual property lawyers at Mithoff Law are here to help.
Get the answers and the protection your company needs. Contact Mithoff Law today at 713-654-1122 today.