Protecting your company’s intellectual property is a top priority, but finding the best way to do so may be a challenge. When it comes to safeguarding inventions, one of the available options is to file for a patent.
Patents are granted through the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in order to allow you the exclusive right to produce, make, use, or sell an invention. They last for 20 years, during which those exclusive rights are legally enforceable.
Some types of intellectual property have limits on how long they can be covered by IP protection laws. The length of time these protections last depends on the type of IP, such as whether it’s copyrighted material, patented inventions, or trademarks. The steps you take to protect them may also come into play.
Here, we’ll look at how long IP protections last for most types of intellectual property.
Every year, nearly 13,000 people are injured by fireworks. Most of those fireworks are legal, though injuries may result from the negligent actions of another person. In those cases, there may be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.
Personal injury lawsuits resulting from fireworks include various types of damages. As such, if you’ve been injured by negligent use of fireworks, or if the fireworks used were defective, you may be entitled to the following:
In the course of real estate transactions, funds are held in escrow in order to keep them secure and to protect the interests of the parties involved in the transaction. The process itself is governed by many rules, but it can be broken down into some basic steps.
In it’s most basic sense, “escrow” refers to money being held by a third party (i.e. someone apart from the buyer and the seller) during a transaction. When someone buys a property, they place funds in an escrow account, and those funds are held there until the terms of the purchase agreement are completely finalized. Funds are released and the title to the property is transferred once the parties in the transaction fulfill the terms of the agreement.
Those who have become exposed to the novel coronavirus while on the job may be entitled to workers’ compensation, particularly when it impacts their ability to work and warrants medical treatment. However, it begs the question of how much these claims are actually worth. If your claim settles, how much would the payout be?
The simple answer is that it’s a bit early to tell just yet.
Many of the various reliefs and incentives put out by the government are intended to help ease the burdens of individuals and businesses alike. Whether you’re a high net worth individual with a complex financial scenario or a small business owner trying to make ends meet during an economic lull, the pandemic will likely impact your tax situation.
One of the reliefs extended by the IRS is an extension on tax deadlines. Taxes and returns that were due in April are now due by July 15th. If more time is still needed, individuals and businesses are able to extend that deadline further by filing an extension.
The pandemic has prompted various companies to donate patents to research facilities and similar organizations in order to help combat the coronavirus. While donating patents to research organizations and universities can accomplish something truly good for society, it needs to be done responsibly.
Often, businesses will hold patents for inventions that they aren’t currently using or developing. They may not find it worthwhile to maintain these patents themselves, in which case they have the option of donating them to nonprofit organizations.
Workplace accidents can sometimes be fatal, but even if the employer was at fault, a lawsuit may not be possible due to the way workers’ compensation law works. In Illinois, workers (or in this case, their families) cannot sue the employer for negligence in these cases. However, there may be a possibility for a wrongful death lawsuit if other parties were involved in the injury.
Illinois workers’ compensation law is something of a trade-off. Employees cannot sue their employer for their injuries (except in certain rare cases), and employers are obligated to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ compensation benefits are provided regardless of fault, which means that while the employer may not necessarily be directly liable for a workplace injury, they are still responsible for covering the cost of those injuries.
Given the concentration of illness present at many healthcare facilities, it’s important for them to take stringent measures to prevent the spread of disease such as COVID-19 and common hospital infections. If you fall seriously ill as a result of being treated at a hospital, you may have a case, though there are factors that could keep you from recovering damages.
Note that during the coronavirus pandemic in Illinois, any healthcare facility that provides care or assistance for those who have contracted COVID-19 has some immunity to liability, so if your illness dates to this time, you likely won’t be able to recover damages.
Most facets of life have been impacted by COVID-19, including the way we handle intellectual property. From enforcing IP protections to safeguarding trade secrets, the pandemic has introduced a number of changes.
For companies that have transitioned to remote work-forces, the way trade secrets and other sensitive information is protected has to adapt. Many businesses have had to adjust their current IP protection policies and implement new technologies and practices in order to keep trade secrets safe when being used by home-based employees.
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