If you are doing business in Arkansas, you may have ideas you want to protect under Arkansas intellectual property law. This protection allows you to reap the full benefits of your business concepts and prevents others from unfairly using them.

Arkansas Intellectual property refers to ideas that are owned by you as an individual or as a company. Although your intellectual property is protected under intellectual property law from the moment you create it, you should register to create an official record of your ideas and more easily protect them should a conflict ever arise.

The 3 most common forms of Arkansas intellectual property are:

1. Trademark, registered federally or through Arkansas intellectual property law.

2. Copyright, for artistic works such as published work.

3. Patent, for unique inventions or business methods.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose the best protection under intellectual property law in Arkansas

To protect your intellectual property, first decide what type it is. Trademarks refer to a name, phrase, or logo that identifies your business. It can include words only, a particular look or font or even a color scheme. A copyright protects the specific form in which your ideas are recorded and is used to protect literary and artistic works. Finally, patents protect your inventions and are used for physical devices or abstract concepts, such as computer software algorithms or business methods.

I recommend: Start with the Intellectual Property Center of FindLaw, which outlines the basics of intellectual property and offers a wide menu of topics to help you begin to register your intellectual property in Arkansas. The Intellectual Property Resource Center of Netpreneur is also an excellent resource for your initial research. Review the helpful information at the United States Patent and Trademark Office or the United States Copyright Office.

Register your intellectual property under Arkansas intellectual property law to protect your busines

Although intellectual property is, in general, registered on the federal level, you may also register your trademark on the state level in Arkansas. It is essential for your small business to patent your ideas or register your trademarks or copyrights. This allows your small business to access the full power of the courts in protecting your valuable assets. Although patents and copyright are registered federally, you may register your trademark both in Arkansas and federally.

I recommend: Check the Trademark Electronic Search System to ensure your proposed trademark is not registered, then register online through the Trademark Electronic Application System. For your copyright, register through the United States Copyright Office. Review and search state trademarks at the Arkansas Secretary of the State. Learn more about Arkansas trademark law by searching on Title 4, Subtitle 6, and then Chapter 71 at ARKLEG.

Let a lawyer guide you through Arkansas intellectual property law

It may be in your best interest to consult with Arkansas intellectual patent attorneys for advice about protecting your intellectual property. Arkansas patent law has nuances which are often best left to an intellectual property lawyer in Arkansas.

I recommend: To find an intellectual property lawyer in Arkansas, visit Lawyers.com or see FindLaw or the Arkansas Bar Association or the US Patent and Trademark Office for Arkansas intellectual property attorneys.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Your trademark registration under Arkansas intellectual property law will usually take 2 days to process, so plan accordingly.
• •  When searching for your trademark name in Arkansas, be sure to check any internet domain names that may be in use but are not officially registered.