Intellectual Property

Are you looking to protect a symbol, image, or slogan that represents your brand identity? Has someone used a likeness of your trademarked material in such a way that your business has been affected? Do you have a song that you would like to copyright? Do you have a product idea that would give your company an edge and require indispensable formulas or procedures? Protect your genius with legal backing. Our Nashville intellectual property attorneys are here to help.

Intellectual property (IP) law deals with protecting the rights of individuals who, through mental labor, have created an original product. Generally speaking, trademarks protect a symbol or a name that identifies a particular producer of goods or services. Copyrights protect works of expression, such as written or artistic pieces and the rights to reproduce, display, or create derivative works based thereon. Trade secrets are any particular formula, technique, process, or sensitive marketing piece of information that provides a particular company with an advantage in the marketplace.

If you have invested your time and money in developing your business or talent, it would serve your best interests to retain legal representation in order to protect your intellectual property. Cole Law Group intellectual property attorneys in Nashville are here to assist you in protecting ideas that could either be regarded as a trade secret or protected by trademark or copyright. We can help you through a wide variety of intellectual property challenges.

Trademark registration – Trademarks are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Many things must be determined, including the mark format, identifying what goods and/or services the mark will apply to, and ensuring that no one else is already claiming a similar design or wording.

Trademark litigation – Trademark litigation typically arises when someone feels that another inventor or company has infringed on their trademark by using the mark in an unauthorized fashion, or for particular goods or services in such a way that creates confusion and misleads consumers about the source of them.

Copyright registration and infringement – Copyrights are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. The process differs depending on whether the work is literary, a computer program, a performing arts piece, a single periodical, multiple periodicals, a group of newspapers or newsletters, a sound recording, or a work of the visual arts.

Trade secret protection – It is important that trade secrets not generally be known. The holder takes reasonable precaution to prevent disclosure of the information, and the secret has commercial value. Trade secrets can be protected for an unlimited amount of time without registration, just as long as the holder preserves the right diligently.

IP consultation/advising – Our Nashville intellectual property lawyers will assist you in meeting all the criteria for protection and continued preservation of your intellectual property. Cole Law Group can help you with all aspects of the IP protection process.

Unfair competition – When a business commits any form of fraudulent activity to steal a trade secret, a trade name, or a trade dress owned by you, there are laws to protect you from this type of unfair competition. We provide seasoned legal advice to help our clients resolve this legal issue in a timely and professional manner.

Intellectual property enforcement and defense – Some of our clients take further measures to enforce their intellectual property protection agreements and prevent counterfeiting or knock-offs. Cole Law Group IP attorneys offer a range of effective solutions to help you find success with intellectual property enforcement. For individuals facing charges for an intellectual property violation, we understand that some creative ideas unintentionally match that of another. For that reason, we are also here to defend your side of the story if you are the face of an investigation.

Right of publicity – Many celebrities and public figures have fallen prey to misappropriation of their personal identity. There are people out there who seek fame, fortune, and attention by using the names of people with notoriety. Having a "right of publicity" agreement in place could prevent this from happening. To make things easier and less complicated for you, Cole Law Group can navigate you through the process of filing a claim.

Licensing agreements – Licensing agreements make it possible for you to make a profit off of a trademark or another form of intellectual property. If you have plans to close on a licensing agreement with another inventor or company, we encourage you to work out the details of the agreement with an experienced intellectual property attorney. Our firm can steer you in the right direction and make sure that you are covered in case of a contract breach.

Your company's intellectual property is what makes your business operation unique. Unfortunately, unscrupulous companies, hackers, contractors and former employees routinely steal confidential data that can threaten a company's financial health if that data is exploited.

In today's fast paced technological society and complex commercial environment, it has become increasingly important for business enterprises to protect and defend their intellectual property rights. Our Nashville intellectual property attorneys can counsel you regarding the best steps to take to avoid intellectual property theft. We work with business owners to craft contracts with strong non compete and nondisclosure agreements to protect product plans, software, client files, processes and other trade secrets and intellectual property. If you are already a victim of plagiarism, infringement or misappropriation, our IP attorneys will mediate or litigate claims to recover your intellectual assets.

Intellectual property theft litigation is a complex process. Cole Law Group IP attorneys advise businesses throughout the Nashville area of their rights and options for protecting their most valuable assets. We will always look for a resolution that saves your company time and money prior to commencing litigation. If litigation becomes necessary, we will work to protect our clients' interests with a combination of strategic thinking skills, a high level of IP capability, and consistent client service and communication.

Cole Law Group is a firm of litigators and trial attorneys. Our reputation, attention to detail, and ability to prepare for a complex trial often means the other side is willing to find an out of court resolution. We strive to resolve cases through arbitration, mediation or private negotiation. However, if litigation is deemed necessary, we can represent you at trial in all Tennessee state courts, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, the U.S. Appellate Court for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

If you are interested in protecting your intellectual property, or you believe that you are a victim of IP theft, call us at (615) 490-6020 to arrange a consultation. We are prepared to defend your intellectual property rights.