Personalized Approach
We know that every client’s copyright needs are unique. That’s why our lawyers take a personalized approach to your business and your industry when considering your brand strategy.
Personalized Approach
We know that every client’s business needs are unique. That’s why our lawyers take a personalized approach to your business and your industry when considering your business strategy, whether in contract negotiation or in a merger or acquisition. Our experience and small size give us the freedom to offer candid and creative advice others might hesitate to deliver.
Intellectual Property (IP) Attorneys
Panagos Kennedy PLLC is a Troy-based intellectual property (IP) law firm. We understand that innovation and IP drive business success. That is why IP matters.
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Though based in Troy Michigan, our team of IP attorneys advise clients all over the globe. We help them identify, protect, manage, monetize, and enforce their IP rights. We also help you mitigate any risks of infringing your competitors’ IP in the US and overseas.
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Whether you are a startup company seeking Series A Funding or an established business, we are here to help.
What is Intellectual Property?
IP is not just intellectual property, it is intangible property. You cannot touch it, although you can touch implementations of it. For example, you cannot touch the original expression of an idea in words, but you can touch a book. The untouchable aspects of IP are commercial assets that can be bought and sold and inherited like other property. Following are common types of IP assets:
Types of IP Assets
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Patents: US Patents provide their owners with the right to exclude third parties from making, using, selling, and importing inventions into the United States for a limited time period. Inventors can seek international patent protection for their most important inventions where it makes business sense to do so. Our Troy-based attorneys have an expansive international network including lawyers in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, China, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and South Africa.
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Trademarks: US Trademarks protect brands that affiliate goods and services with their providers. These brands can be distinctive words, names, logos, and symbols that identify and distinguish goods or services. Trademarks prevent third parties from knocking-off brands with lower quality alternatives. Trademarks can prevent third parties from creating confusion in the marketplace. And if your brand is used internationally, you may wish to tap into our European and Asian network of IP experts.
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Copyrights: US Copyrights protect original works of authorship, such as software, manuals, 2D and 3D images, music, films, and like. US copyrights grant their creator exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display their works. Where the market warrants it, our Troy-based lawyers can assist with securing international rights for your copyrights.
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Trade Secrets: Trade secrets are valuable technical or business information, that is not publicly known, and that is protected by reasonable efforts such as NDAs and network security. Trade secrets can take many forms. They can be formulas, processes, and customer lists. Unlike patents, trade secrets are protected as long as the information remains confidential. They are not time-limited assets. Our attorneys have substantial experience in developing and enforcing trade secrets.
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Confidential Information & Know-How: Confidential information and know-how include a broad cross section of information that are not publicly known. These might not rise to the level of trade secrets, but still can be safeguarded through business practices and contracts such as non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. We routinely draft NDAs, licenses, and other agreements that protect this important data, even when it does not qualify for trade secret protection.
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Technical Data: Technical data is an often overlooked category of IP. Technical data is most important for government contracts, where primary and sub-contractors disclose certain data to the government for making items of varying sensitivity. These rights are easily waived, and the consequences for such waiver can be as dire as getting replaced by a lower cost competitor. Our Troy-based lawyers have experience with Department of Defense contracts and data rights assertions. We can help you protect your tomorrow, which is too often forgotten in a chase for business today.
The Importance of Protecting Intellectual Property
Protecting IP is essential for businesses centered around innovations, brands, and creative works. Here are some of the key advantages that a strategic portfolio of IP assets can bring to your business:
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Competitive Advantage: IP gives businesses a competitive edge by preventing others from copying unique products and money-saving process innovations. By identifying IP and securing it with IP rights, you have tools to dissuade others from using your IP. They are left to second-best solutions to solve similar problems.
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Revenue Generation: IP protection allows businesses to license or sell their IP, generating additional revenue streams. This can be especially useful for product lines that a company is planning to sunset, for example. Older patents, trademarks, and copyrights can be monetized through licensing agreements and other business arrangements.
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Brand Recognition: Trademarks establish and reaffirm brand recognition and loyalty. By protecting your brand, you create a strong identity that customers can trust and associate with quality and reputation.
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Deterrent Against Infringement: When you mark your products with trademarks and patent numbers, you put the world on notice that you have exclusive rights in those products. For those who wish to avoid court, this notice deters competitors from infringing on your IP. This is especially true if you have developed a reputation for enforcing your IP.
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Business Valuation: IP assets can significantly impact the overall value of your business. For many tech companies, IP assets far outweigh brick and mortar assets. This matters when securing financing, attracting investors, and facilitating mergers or acquisitions.
Intellectual Property Services Offered by Panagos Kennedy PLLC
At Panagos Kennedy PLLC, we offer a full range of IP services. We help clients identify, protect, enforce, and maximize the value of their IP assets. We also help our clients mitigate risk by identifying and avoiding competitors’ IP. Here are examples of the IP services we provide:
Developing International Patent Strategies
​We can help your engineers and scientists identify and log their innovations in their everyday work. We can help the business leadership evaluate those invention disclosures against objective industry-specific criteria to determine which are worthy of the investment patent protection in which countries. Also, as your team develops new products and new versions of existing products, we can identify which patents present risks, and develop a risk mitigation plan. We can also identify which parties have patents that you may seek to license, and then develop an approach to seek favorable terms. We also enforce patents in federal court where necessary as a business tool, and negotiate cross-license agreements when that makes the most sense. Whatever your long term and short term business goals, we can develop a budget-conscious patent strategy for your needs.
Developing International Trademark & Branding Strategies
​Your brand is one of your most valuable assets, and trademark protection is essential for building and maintaining brand identity. We assist your marketing team with identifying which of your brands are candidates for strong trademarks. We help you decide where to file for trademark registrations around the globe, and which vehicle to use for cost effectiveness and for robustness. We can help you mitigate risk of infringement when developing new brands and launching new products and services. And when there are conflicts with third parties, we can advocate for you in opposition and cancellation proceedings, as well as in the courts.
Developing International Copyright Strategies
Every company has creative types on their employee roster. These so-called “creatives” generate business-critical assets like source code to important software and marketing materials that promote the final products that incorporate the software. In the US, copyright registration is vital for enforcing your copyrights against those who would copy and publish your works as their own. We can manage your applications for copyright registration, and defend you against claims of infringement. We also write Work for Hire agreements, software licenses, assignments, and waiver and release forms. Whatever your copyright-related need, we develop business-centric and cost-effective strategies to manage the copyright issue at hand.
Developing Trade Secrets Strategies
For businesses with valuable proprietary information, trade secret protection is essential for maintaining a competitive edge. Our IP attorneys develop and implement strategies for protecting trade secrets. This involves identifying information that gains value from remaining secret, then protecting that information. You can require employees to sign confidentiality agreements, limit physical access to sensitive data, and implement software security protocols for those who can access such data over your network. We develop training programs to make sure your team knows how to handle sensitive information. And if someone misappropriates your trade secrets, we can and will enforce your rights in court to seek injunctive relief to make it stop.
Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights through Litigation
IP enforcement often starts with cease-and-desist letters and follow-on negotiations. Sometimes, such disputes resolve easily where parties can find a way to coexist. Not all dealings resolve easily or early. Where common ground cannot be found, IP litigation may become necessary. Our team has extensive experience in IP litigation, representing clients in cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets disputes. Whether you are dealing with infringement, misappropriation, or unfair competition, our attorneys are committed to advocating for your desired strategic outcome. To help manage the unpredictable nature of litigation, we are open to alternative fee arrangements for this work.
Negotiating Licenses & Other IP-Related Contracts
Licensing your IP assets to third parties allows you to monetize your IP assets while maintaining control over how they are used. We help you identify which IP assets are good candidates for outbound licensing, then we target potential licensees and negotiate and draft contracts. Similarly, we identify IP assets that you might need to access to incorporate certain technology in your products. For these inbound licenses, we negotiate licenses or outright purchases. Our IP attorneys, based on their extensive in-house experience, are wired to design IP transactions narrowly tailored to execute your business goals.
Why Choose Panagos Kennedy PLLC for Your Intellectual Property Needs?
Troy-based Panagos Kennedy PLLC provides high-quality IP services to its clients.
Experienced IP Attorneys
Our attorneys have decades of IP experience as both in-house counsel and outside counsel, so we can offer a unique blend of legal, business, and technical counseling that is difficult to find in private law firms. Our IP attorneys have earned recognition as Best Lawyers, Leaders in the Law from Michigan Lawyers Weekly, and have been recognized as Top Lawyers by dbusiness magazine.
Personalized Approach
We know that every client’s IP needs are unique. That’s why we take a personalized approach to each IP matter, working closely with clients to understand their goals and develop strategies that align with their business objectives. Our experience and small size make us nimble enough to follow through with creative and personalized approaches that are more difficult to achieve with larger red tape-laden organizations.
Commitment to Client Success
We understand that IP assets are tools designed to help you achieve success as you – not us – have defined the term. That’s why we spend the time to get to know you, your industry, and your competitors. Only with knowledge of the relevant business landscape can we help you achieve your desired results.
Contact Panagos Kennedy PLLC
​3331 West Big Beaver Rd. Suite 102
Troy, Michigan 48084
248.564.1335
info@paniplaw.com
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Visit our website to learn more about our IP, business & technology law services or schedule a consultation.