Keep Your Business Firewall Software Safe!
Important Ways to Legally Protecting your Business Firewall Software
There are
different ways that you can legally protect your business firewall
software. Understanding the different ways that you can protect your
business firewall software and ensure that your ideas are safe is crucial. You
want to keep your ideas and software programs to yourself and ensure that no
one else has the ability to take an idea that is too close in similarity to
yours and make money off of it.
Get a Patent
The best way to protect yourself is through a
patent. A patent is a legal protection for the inventor. With a patent, it
excludes others from making, using, importing, or selling the invention. This
makes an idea legally yours!
A patent is good for 20 years from the day it was filed so long as all fees and payments are made. The important thing to remember is that a U.S patent is only valid within the United States and does not carry any weight in another country.
For people
creating business firewall software, the good news is that can now patent the
product, whereas in the past they were not able to do so. To get a patent, it
generally costs between $5,000 and $20,000, so be prepared to pay for it. Do
yourself a favor and hire a patent attorney to make sure everything is done
correctly. It is a lot less stress on your part if you are able to have an
attorney help you through it.
Look at a Copyright
Copyrights are a great way to prevent a competitor
from duplicating the firewall business software that you’ve created. This
copyright will protect the structure, the code, the sequence, and the look and
feel of the firewall business software. The great thing with a copyright for
your firewall business software is that it is done automatically when you
publish it. However, you should also file for a formal copyright. The fee
for a copyright is generally very small, approximately $45, and is sent to the
Library of Congress.
Get a Trademark
Like a copyright, it is also easy to get a
trademark. This will basically serve as a mark so that people know that someone
owns it and cannot be used by someone else. It is one of the easier ownerships
to obtain.
You first
have to make sure that there is nothing else in the trademark database that
looks like that. Then you will apply online and pay a fee between $75 to $310
per month, depending on the company size and a few other factors.
Knowing the different ways that you can protect
your business firewall software is very important. You want to be sure
that you are protecting your hard work. Hiring an attorney that can help you
get a patent, trademark, or a copyright will be a huge help. With an attorney,
you will have the ability to get the information that you need and fight to
keep your business firewall software exclusive to just you.
NEXT: Make Sure You Know About Your Business Software!
