Top 4 Intellectual Property Rights Service Providers For SMEs and Startups

Creative ideas, innovations or unique creations can exist in every business. These are benchmarks of being competitive and ensuring financial success. But how do you protect your most valuable asset i.e. the intellectual property of your business? How do you make sure that competitors do not copy your business idea or USP of your product/ service? Read on to find out.

What do you mean by intellectual property rights?

“Intellectual property (IP) represents creations of the mind or intellect that can be legally owned. IP laws allow for protection through patents, trade marks, copyright, designs, circuit layouts, and plant breeder’s rights. Almost every business has some form of IP that they need to protect.” (Source: business.gov.au)

From the content on your corporate website to the differentiating aspect of the product you sell, or the key results of any R&D project you carried out – All of these fall under the gamut of intellectual property. Intellectual property rights are the rights given to individuals or companies over such creative works of intellect. They usually give the creator an exclusive right over the use of his/her creation for a certain period of time.

The intellectual property rights include industrial property rights (e.g. patents, industrial designs and trademarks) and copyright (right of the author or creator) and related rights (rights of the performers, producers and broadcasting organisations).

The significance of intellectual property rights in India is well established from a legal, judicial and administrative point of view.

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Why hire an intellectual property rights service provider?

Apparently, the concept of intellectual property is not an entirely new one. SMEs and startups have a fair knowledge of intellectual property rights. But money being a huge consideration for small businesses, providing for the protection of one’s intellectual property rights seems like a luxury to them. However in the long term it is worth protecting your intellectual property.

It becomes even more important and acts as a powerful asset when you have plans to sell the business, merge with another company, secure funding or embark on a joint venture. And thanks to the good number of professional intellectual property rights service providers in India, the extremely complicated task of securing one’s intellectual property rights has become a cakewalk.

With the assistance of a good IPR service provider you can legally prevent others from taking advantage of market goodwill generated by your business by trading under your name.The intellectual property rights services involve complex legalities. The entire process of copyright issues can prove to be a hectic and grueling task. It can be especially bothersome for small business owners who are generally not well-versed with legalities involved. Therefore, it is wise to hire services of an industry expert. The IPR service providers have the staff, skill-sets and domain knowledge needed for the job.

Best Intellectual Property Rights Service Providers in India

Every business must formally register its intellectual property to ensure legal ownership. Thanks to IPR service providers, businesses today have easy access to such information and benefits. Following are some of the most remarkable service providers in the IPR segment. Offering best of services, these companies especially cater to the needs of SMEs and start-ups.

1) R. K. Dewan & Co.

R. K. Dewan & Co. is in business for more than 71 years now. Their professionals have been delivering insightful advice and services to assist clients in upholding and protecting their Intellectual Property Rights throughout India and globally. R. K. Dewan & Co. has built a close-knit, dependable and extensive network of associates in India and in over 125 countries throughout the world.Therefore catering to national and international IP filing, prosecution and domestic and trans-border litigation across all tiers of the judiciary.

An ISO 9001:2008 certified firm, it is a member of INTA (International Trademark Association), AIPPI (International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property), AIPLA (American Intellectual Property Law Association), APAA (Asian Patent Attorneys Association), CIPA (The Chartered Institute for Patent Attorneys), FICPI (International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys), LES (Licensing Executives Society), MARQUES, CII (Confederation of Indian Industries), MCCIA (Maharatta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture) and ASSOCHAM.

2) Intellilocus

IntellilocusTM IP Services is an IP boutique devoted to the core of Intellectual Property practice. They are committed to provide end to end IP services from ideation to expiration.

IntellilocusTM is brainchild of zealous engineers and patent agents who have profound passion for technology and innovation. Headquartered in New Delhi, IntellilocusTM is a people oriented firm which goes by the principle of uniqueness to cater to everyone’s different requirements. Their services cover patents, trademarks, copyright, design, paralegal support, IP management and IP monetization.

3) Universal Legal 

Established in 2004, Universal Legal offers broad range of services in the US and in India from a common pool of resources and people. Be it a small business in an emerging industry, or a multinational corporation, Universal Legal partners effectively and with efficiency, giving high importance to each project.

Their intellectual property practice primarily focuses on – comprehensive IP strategies to protect clients core & ancillary IP, prosecuting registration applications in respect of copyrights, designs, trademarks and patents, drafting patent specifications relating to a wide array of technologies, filing national patent applications in India and overseas, patent operation treaty applications and their prosecution, coordinating with international law firms in procedural aspects of IP registration process worldwide, and interacting with various government departments on Intellectual Property infringement and Passing-off actions.

4) TMT Law Practice

TMT Law Practice is India’s first and boutique Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law firm. Their practice combines Intellectual Property, regulatory, corporate and transactional, dispute resolution, and legislative work in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry.

The strength of TMT Law Practice lies in understanding the issues faced by corporate decision makers because their lawyers have themselves held key government and in-house positions. They understand how geo-political issues affect operations because their lawyers have themselves worked in complex business and regulatory environments. They have diverse field experiences and offer advise on the latest market developments, regulatory changes, legislative actions, and commercial and technical issues.

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