Do you have a new idea that you want to use to make yourself a lot of money? A lot of people do. But do you know how to protect your new idea? LifeCycle Lawyers do. And we will help you do it.
Many people’s lifecycles include coming up with a new idea and making a business out of it. They often contact us to help them protect the value of their ideas by using intellectual property protection. The initial conversation then revolves around all the various types of intellectual property they did not even realize they had and the various ways they can protect them.
Yes! Sometimes a company has many types of intellectual property (IP) and uses all of the possible methods of IP protection (IPP).
Magmatic Ltd., a British company that makes and sells a brand of children’s suitcases and luggage called Trunki, which is best known for its global success with ride-on suitcases that have received over 100 awards, has sold in the millions of units in 97 countries around the world. Magmatic knows the importance of IPP and it has gained a reputation for vigorously defending its IP rights. Using a registered Community design (the British version of a design patent) covering the Trunki ride-on suitcase, Magmatic has litigated infringers all the way to the U.K. Supreme Court and enforced its IP rights in a variety of ways around the world.
To get the full flavor of Magmatic’s IPP program, read the founder’s interview in the Landslide, the ABA Intellectual Property Section’s monthly magazine, An Interview with Rob Law: Founder of Magmatic Ltd., Landslide, Vol. 10 No. 6 (July/August 2018, pp ) (https://www.americanbar.org/groups/intellectual_property_law/publications/landslide/2017-18/july-august/interview-rob-law.html)
How many types of IPP does Magmatic use? The Trunki inventor started off registering a trademark for the word “Trunki” and then one design registration in the U.K., which is the same thing as a design patent in the U.S., to protect the shape of the suitcase. It was all he could afford at the idea stage. Being both assertive and practical, Magmatic later also obtained design patents covering about 70 of its products in the United States, China, Japan, and different European countries depending on the type of product they have developed. Magmatic also protected its intellectual property using trademarks (the word TRUNKI is now trademarked in 56 countries around the world). Again, they focus on the United Kingdom, the United States (a big consumer market), and China (both a big consumer market and a big “copy-cat” manufacturing country). In some countries, Magmatic can use its design patents as a three-dimensional copyright and go after infringers based on copyright law. Armed with these legal rights, Magmatic hires an online brand protection agency to discover and demand the removal of infringing products world-wide on Alibaba, Amazon, and similar websites. The more and more they build a reputation of vigilance, the less and less people have tried to sell knock-offs of their products.
What’s your new idea? How can we help you build it into a company so you can make your fortune with it? Call us for a free initial consultation at 410-525-3476. 410-LCL-Firm.