Technology is a huge area of growth, and the digital age has made it easy for even the smallest start-up to reach customers all over the world. As your business grows, legal assistance should be high on your agenda. We’ve rounded up three key areas you need to consider, to ensure that your company remains up to date with current legislation.
Creative Ownership
Protecting your intellectual property is important, and you should consider whether patents or trademarks are required for any products that you are creating. Creator ownership, or knowing exactly who an idea belongs to, can be a potential minefield. If an employee has been responsible for creating something that you want to maintain the rights for, you need to ensure that you establish the necessary written agreements. Generally, the rights over intellectual property will belong to the individual who created it, rather than the company they were working for at the time. There have even been instances of an employee leaving a firm, and then going on to use their idea to become a direct competitor. Avoid this risk by obtaining the correct legal documentation to confirm exactly to who all intellectual property belongs.
Copyright law
Copyright law is a hot topic for many UK companies at present. Digital content can be especially difficult to protect, as the ease with which consumers can now share content online makes copyright infringement almost impossible to prevent and even to monitor. Due to the ever-changing nature of the digital arena, new laws are being introduced all the time. As you develop new products, make sure you stay in the know by seeking legal assistance on how advancements in the law can affect your business. These processes should be considered a necessary investment in the future of your company.
Legal Assistance
Both of these areas are worth seeking support for from a technology lawyer, as they will have specific knowledge of this field. A lawyer can also help you when planning for the future, to support you with processes such as supply and procurement, outsourcing agreements, and conflict resolution. As your business grows it is worth regularly checking in with a technology lawyer, to ensure that all aspects of your business are compliant, and also to keep you updated with changes to legislation.