Part of the all day Venture Fast Track: http://www.thecapitalnetwork.org/programs/venture-fast-track/ Critical IP Issues for Startups Entrepreneurs build their businesses, their competitive advantage, and their long-term defensibility around a core of intellectual property. For some entrepreneurs, that will mean a patent portfolio. For many others, however, it will mean a sticky web of trademarks, trade dress rights, copyright, know-how, trade secrets, contractual exclusivity and non-disclosure agreements. Our experts will help entrepreneurs untangle common and critical intellectual property issues to help them with business planning and with explaining the investment proposition and risks to investors. Experts: - Paul Cronin – Nutter, McClennen & Fish - Heather Repicky – Nutter, McClennen & Fish -Chuck Toye - Cognitive Electronics -Mac Dougherty - Cognitive Electronics

1. Critical IP Issues for Startups
Paul Cronin, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Heather B. Repicky, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Mac Dougherty, Cognitive Electronics
Chuck Toye, Cognitive Electronics
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Seaport West
155 Seaport Boulevard
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
Telephone 617.439.2000
www.nutter.com
October 24, 2013

2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Your IP Strategy Should Identify:
• Offensive uses of IP – How will you create barriers to
entry that keep competitors behind you
• Defensive uses of IP – How will you keep control of the
important aspects of your business
• IP assets – How can you build value using your IP
portfolio
• IP liabilities – How will you avoid the potholes
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3. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Marketplace
&
Competitors
Short
Term
Business
Goals
$
Timing
Long Term
Business
Goals
Technical
Need
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4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
• Patents
• Trademarks/Trade Dress
• Copyrights
• Trade Secrets
• Employment Agreements & NDAs*
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5. PATENTS
Whoever invents or
discovers any new and
useful process, machine,
manufacture or composition
of matter, or any new and
useful improvement thereof,
may obtain a patent . . . . ”
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6. PATENTS
4 Basic Patent Issues Will Immediately Come Into
Play As You Are Developing Your IP Strategy
•
•
•
•
•
First-to-file system
20 year term
On-sale/Public disclosure bar
Territorial rights
$
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7. TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS
• Definition: word, phrase, symbol, or
design that is used to identify the
source of goods/services and to
distinguish them from others
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8. TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS
3 QuickTips Relevant To Trademark Issues:
• Think about developing a brand
• Clear your mark
• Consider filing for trademark registration,
even if you have not begun using the mark
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9. COPYRIGHTS
Copyrights are not just relevant
to painters and novelists.
• Requirements: Original work of author
• Ownership: Author, unless work made for hire
• Open Source Issues
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10. TRADE SECRETS
• Definition: (1) Information that derives an
economic value and is not readily
ascertainable and (2) reasonable effort
is made to maintain secrecy
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11. EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS & NDAs
•
•
•
•
Ownership of IP
Non-competition Agreements (jurisdictional)
Use of NDAs with vendors/suppliers
Spend time coming up with a description that
doesn’t reveal your trade secrets but shows
the company value
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14. Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com
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15. Top Of Mind Issues
• Ownership of IP
• Protecting your trade secrets
• NDAs and the Pitfalls of Disclosure By
Third Parties
• Provisional Patent Applications
• Copyright Licensing Issues
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP • www.nutter.com
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16. Questions?
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17. THANK YOU
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