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Protecting Intellectual Property Locks

October 14, 2014

Intellectual_property_locksEvery small business should have a basic understanding of the laws that apply to protecting intellectual property. It is the only way a company will be able to protect their unique creations and ideas from competitors. There are four major ways a small business can obtain legal protection for intellectual property (IP).

Trade Secrets

This is business information that a company keeps secret. This information gives the small business an advantage over their competitors. It could be a device, method, formula and more. A trade secret example could be anything from the ingredients used in a food product, to the process used for creating an object. This cannot be protected by registering it. A small business must control access to this type of information. Companies must use Non-Disclosure Agreements, employment covenants and more to protect their trade secret.

Copyright

A small business may have created literature to sell their product that should have copyright protection. Copyright protection could also include music, computer software and more. In theory, copyright protection occurs the minute the work in created. When a small business holds a copyright, they will be able to better prove their case if a copyright infringement lawsuit becomes necessary. Details of copyright registration can be found at the US Copyright office website.  (more…)

Is it time to get a SSL certificate?

October 13, 2014

At first, determining whether or not you need a SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate might seem like a daunting task. What do they do? Do I really need one, and if I do, why? When do I attach it to my site? Don’t worry — just about every small business owner launching a website for the first time asks the same questions.

The whole concept of SSL might seem like a mystery, but it’s actually fairly clear-cut. Here’s the lowdown:

What is SSL? 

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a security mechanism that works between a user’s Web browser (like Firefox® and Google Chrome™) and the website the user is connecting to. The website’s software includes a SSL certificate issued by a trustworthy authority. When confidential info needs to be exchanged, SSL is used to encrypt the information before it is sent, and then to decrypt it at the other end, when it has been received.  (more…)

Simple steps to crafting powerful marketing campaigns

October 7, 2014

The goal of any marketing effort is to achieve a measurable result—and for many that goal to is often focused on moving your audience to take action. This may sound like an overwhelming task, but with the right approach in place, it does not have to be difficult to develop marketing campaigns that drive impact and achieve great results.  Following are some simple steps that you can follow to help craft powerful marketing campaigns.

1) Think about the audience you’re trying to reach

Start by thinking about your ideal customer. Who are they? What are they interested in? What problems can you help them solve? Relevance is one of the most important factors of any successful marketing campaign. The goal of your marketing should be to create something that customers and potential customers will appreciate. That’s the type of experience people are going to pay attention to, and it’s also the best way to bring customers back.  (more…)

Help, I can’t find my own website! Solve that problem with keywords.

September 30, 2014

How do you know if your site is working? And by working, I don’t mean actually landing on your home page when you type the URL in your preferred browser. I mean working – the type of effort that produces results; and what result is more important than visitors actually finding your website?

Enter the mysterious world of search engine optimization (SEO), where keywords and relevant content affect whether or not your website is ranked higher on search engines like Google®. SEO content writers know exactly which phrase to tweak and which keyword to repeat in order to boost a site’s rankings. Problem is, we all aren’t practiced SEO writers, so where do we begin?

Keywords, keywords, keywords

It sounds simple enough – you’ve been a business owner in your market for quite some time now, and who better to know what words define your industry than you? If you aren’t sure what words and phrases are making or breaking your website, simply ask yourself, “If I were to search for my product on a search engine, what would I type into the search bar?” Then, determine if these phrases are present in your Web content. Still not too sure? Use a tool like Google AdWords™ Keyword Planner to discover keywords people might be using to find websites like yours.  (more…)

Streamlining the Search Process for Trademark Registration

September 29, 2014

Notebook-StreamliningTheSearchProcessTrademarks are an essential way to protect your intellectual property (IP) so you can market your goods and services under your brand. However, if you have ever gone through the trademark registration process, you know the challenges in trying to find out whether the idea is already protected.

Trademark applications are not cheap and the cost of re-filing again and again is a wasted expense. To ensure the application is filed right the first time round, it can take up numerous resources and time that you may not have. Even then, you might miss information about a trademark that could eventually put you in danger of infringement.

With a new tool being designed that can help you find information faster, this process may be easier than ever. This digital tool, called TrademarkNow, has been searching for venture capitalists to get it on the market. It recently received a $3.5 million investment from a company called Balderton Capital that will ensure it is used by millions of businesses.  (more…)