Intellectual property law has always been important, as business owners have always been worried about someone stealing their ideas, trademarks, trade secrets, or patented designs. They didn’t want someone else to be able to profit off of these things, either by making knockoff products or pretending to be the original company that actually held the rights.
In the past, though, it was harder for the competition to get their hands on some of this intellectual property. Business secrets that were printed on paper could be kept in the office. In order to copy a trademarked logo, someone would have to have it recreated by a graphic designer. Are things getting harder to protect in the modern era?
The digital age has made intellectual property vulnerable
This is one of the problems of the digital age. With everything being stored on computers and in the cloud, intellectual property is more vulnerable than ever. Some of the reasons for this include:
- The way that someone can be relatively anonymous on the Internet
- Rapid globalization and the ability to access files and systems from anywhere
- Increased mobility and a “shrinking” world
- Advancements in technology, especially as it relates to cloud systems and digital file storage
As a business owner, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have the same rights that you used to. You absolutely do. It just means that it’s now easier than it has been for someone to violate those rights and steal information that you own. If this happens to you, the financial ramifications can be massive, and it is imperative for you to know about all of the legal options at your disposal.