Service Details

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property law is a complex practice that not only requires an understanding of the law itself, but also the goals and needs of the client. We assist artists, programmers, photographers, designers, bloggers and other businesses in protecting their intellectual property through copyright and trademark registration. We also guide them in establishing best practices with contracts such as independent contractor or employment agreements, work-for-hire agreements and assignments of intellectual property and drafting confidentiality and licensing agreements.

Properly documenting and understanding the process to transfer intellectual property is important when working with employees, independent contractors and in business transactions and acquisitions. In order to avoid costly infringement lawsuits and other causes of action, it is essential to make sure you own or have the right to use the appropriate intellectual property when doing business in any medium of advertising, marketing, or publication of company materials. Intellectual property issues also frequently arise in software licensing and development, web development and design of company branding and logos.

Intellectual property issues are key components to protecting your brand, your reputation and your work - we educate clients on their rights and obligations with respect to creation, use and licensing of intellectual property. In the event someone has taken your work without your permission or is piggybacking off the success of your brand, we can take the appropriate steps to identify, protect and enforce your rights. 

Recent Updates & Recommended Articles from the Lancaster Law Blog:

• When Can You Sue for Copyright Infringement?
  • Copyright registration with the United States Copyright Office is a precondition to filing a copyright infringement lawsuit, however until earlier this month, there was a split as to when registration actually occurs.
• Protecting Your Intellectual Property on Instagram
  • Earlier this month my wife and I traveled to Barcelona, Spain and I posted some of the highlights from our trip on Instagram. On the last day of our trip, we traveled just outside the city to Montserrat, which features a monastery and some incredible views. After I returned to the US, I received a notification that I’d been tagged in a photo from an account I didn’t recognize. 
• Peloton’s Cautionary Tale: Music Licensing and Your Business
  • You may have seen in the news earlier this week that Peloton is being sued for using music without permission in its video fitness classes. The lawsuit was filed by a group of several music publishing groups, claiming that Peloton does not have licenses in place for more than 1,000 songs owned or administered by the groups over a period of years.
• Legal Links – Intellectual Property and Coworking Celebration Edition
  • What do recent headlines about tattoos, video games, and my favorite Katy Perry song have in common? The articles contain interesting lessons from the always complicated, but never dull (to me) world of intellectual property law. Let’s dive in: