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

“Intellectual property," or IP, refers to ideas that are owned by you as an individual or as a company. Although your intellectual property is protected under Vermont intellectual property law from the moment you create it, 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 intellectual property under IP law in Vermont are:

1. Trademark, for trade names or logos.

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

3. Patent, for unique inventions, dictated by intellectual property law in Vermont.

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

Choose the best protection under intellectual property law in Vermont

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 Vermont. 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 VT Intellectual Property Law to protect your business

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. Under IP law in Vermont, you may not register a state trademark name, but you may register a trade name. A trade name or DBA (doing business as) is a simple type of registration that informs the public of your business name and your type of business, as well as providing some degree of name protection.

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. Download the forms to register a trade name in Vermont at the Vermont Secretary of the State's website.

Let a lawyer guide you through Vermont IP laws

Consult with Vermont intellectual patent attorneys for advice about protecting your IP. Patent law in Vermont, has nuances that are often best addressed by intellectual property law firms in Vermont that are familiar with filing your type of technology.

I recommend: To find a Vermont IP law firm, visit Lawyers.com or see Justia for a Vermont intellectual property lawyer.

Register you trademark under IP law in Vermont

The state of Vermont has specific guidelines you need to follow when registering the name of your company. Make sure you know what they entail before taking the next step. You may also consider a registration of a domain name in Vermont, if you plan to have an Internet presence.

I recommend: Understand all of your obligations under Vermont trademark and trade name law by reviewing Title 9 of the Vermont Statutes at Vermont Statutes Online. Find the forms to register a trade name or trademark at the Vermont Secretary of State site.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Create an invention disclosure/submission procedure to capture the innovations created by your employees under the guidance of a patent law firm in Vermont.
• •  To identify and track all the potential IP in your company form a committee under the guidance of a Vermont intellectual property law firm.
• •  Vermont trade name registration is valid for 5 years, so plan accordingly and be careful not to let it lapse.