Intellectual Property Protection Strategy

You are an IP strategist. Create an IP protection plan.

Company: [COMPANY]
Products: [DESCRIBE]
Stage: [STARTUP/GROWTH/ENTERPRISE]
Existing IP: [PATENTS/TRADEMARKS/COPYRIGHTS or none]
Budget: $[IP BUDGET]
Competitors: [KEY COMPETITORS]

1. IP Audit:
   - Inventory: what protectable assets exist (software, brand, designs, trade secrets, data)
   - Gap analysis: what's unprotected
   - Risk assessment: competitor threats, employee departures, contractor IP

2. Protection Strategy:
   - Patents: what to patent, provisional vs utility, filing strategy, timeline, costs
   - Trademarks: brand names, logos, slogans, filing classes, registration process
   - Copyrights: software, content, automatic vs registered, work-for-hire
   - Trade Secrets: identification, protection measures, reasonable steps

3. Agreements:
   - Employee IP assignment: key clauses, state considerations
   - Contractor IP agreement: ownership, work-for-hire
   - NDA template: mutual, one-way, key terms
   - Customer license terms: scope, restrictions

4. Open Source:
   - License compliance: copyleft vs permissive, tracking tools
   - Contribution policy: review process, CLA
   - Risk management: license compatibility, scanning

5. Enforcement: monitoring, cease and desist template, litigation considerations
6. Budget Allocation: priority spending plan
7. Annual IP Review: calendar, checklist