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<v Speaker 1>Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of

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<v Speaker 1>performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajving. This

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<v Speaker 1>is the seven minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul

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<v Speaker 1>fella Aledo.

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<v Speaker 2>Hello everyone, and welcome to this seven minute leadership podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>It's episode five thirty seven. Today's episode is for the creators,

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<v Speaker 2>the dreamers, the innovators, the people sitting on a great

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<v Speaker 2>idea and wondering how to protect it before the world

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<v Speaker 2>sees it. Maybe you've got the next big tech product.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe it's a brand name, a course, a podcast, a book,

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<v Speaker 2>or even just a phrase you want to build a

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<v Speaker 2>movement around. The idea is yours, and before you shout

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<v Speaker 2>it from the rooftops, you need to protect it like

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<v Speaker 2>a't your identity, because in many ways it is. So

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<v Speaker 2>let's talk about intellectual property more importantly, how to guard

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<v Speaker 2>your idea before it becomes someone else's success story. Step one,

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<v Speaker 2>Know what you've got. The first thing to do is

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<v Speaker 2>figure out what kind of intellectual property your idea falls under.

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<v Speaker 2>If it's a brand name, logo, slogan, or product name,

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<v Speaker 2>you're in trademark territory. If it's original written content, artwork, music,

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<v Speaker 2>or videos, that's copyright. If it's an invention, you're looking

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<v Speaker 2>at a patent. If it's a method, process or formula

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<v Speaker 2>and you want to keep it a secret, think trade secret.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's say you've come up with a brand name that

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<v Speaker 2>you know is gold. It's catchy, it's memorable, it's the

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<v Speaker 2>kind of thing you can see on hats, water bottles, websites.

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<v Speaker 2>You name it. That's when it's time to talk trademarks.

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<v Speaker 2>Step two. Start with a search before you spend money

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<v Speaker 2>or build a brand around it. Do a simple search.

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<v Speaker 2>Head to the United States Patent and Trademark Office USPTO

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<v Speaker 2>dot gov and use the tests search tool. See if

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<v Speaker 2>your name or something very similar is already registered. If

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<v Speaker 2>it is, you may need to tweak your idea. If

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<v Speaker 2>it's not good news, you might be the first to

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<v Speaker 2>the finish line. And also check domain availability, social media handles,

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<v Speaker 2>common usage via a Google search, and if all that

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<v Speaker 2>checks out, it's time to lock it. In. Step three,

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<v Speaker 2>file the trademark. You can file a trademark on your

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<v Speaker 2>own for around two hundred and fifty to three hundred

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<v Speaker 2>and fifty dollars per class. It's not complicated, but it's

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<v Speaker 2>not casual either, you're going to need to choose your mark,

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<v Speaker 2>which is your word, logo, or phrase, Identify the class

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<v Speaker 2>of goods or services you're protecting, and show that you've

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<v Speaker 2>already been using the name in commerce or plan to.

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<v Speaker 2>And yes, you can file a intent to use trademark

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<v Speaker 2>if you're not quite live yet but planned to be soon.

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<v Speaker 2>That gives you time to finish development while holding your

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<v Speaker 2>place in line. If you're not comfortable doing this alone,

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<v Speaker 2>hire a trademark attorney or use a service like legal

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<v Speaker 2>Zoom or a trademark engine. You don't need to break

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<v Speaker 2>the bank to protect your idea. Let's talk copyrights. Copyrights

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<v Speaker 2>made easy. Let's say your big idea is a piece

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<v Speaker 2>of content, a book, a course, a blog series, a

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<v Speaker 2>podcast episode, or a graphic design. Here's the good news.

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<v Speaker 2>The moment you create it, it's automatically protected under copyright law.

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<v Speaker 2>But if you want to officially register the copyright, which

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<v Speaker 2>gives you legal proof and protection, head over to copyright

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<v Speaker 2>dot gov. Filing costs about forty five to sixty five

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<v Speaker 2>dollars and can protect you in court if someone tries

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<v Speaker 2>to rip off your work. Step five, don't overshare too early.

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<v Speaker 2>This is one of the most common mistakes I see

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<v Speaker 2>leaders oversharing their big idea in meetings, online, or even

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<v Speaker 2>in casual conversation until you filed, protected, and prepared. Keep

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<v Speaker 2>it in the vault. If you have to share with

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<v Speaker 2>someone like a developer, designer, or partner, use a non

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<v Speaker 2>disclosure agreement in NDA. It doesn't have to be fancy.

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<v Speaker 2>There are free templates online and it's better than nothing.

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<v Speaker 2>In step six, treat your idea like it's already worth

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<v Speaker 2>millions because it could be. One of the greatest leadership

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<v Speaker 2>moves you can make is protecting the future version of

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<v Speaker 2>your business before anyone else sees it. You don't need

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<v Speaker 2>a million followers to have a brand worth protecting. All

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<v Speaker 2>you need is belief in what you've created in a

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<v Speaker 2>plan to keep it yours. So here's your leadership homework

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<v Speaker 2>for today. Number one, do the search. Number two, file

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<v Speaker 2>the protection, number three, keep your idea close until it's

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<v Speaker 2>legally locked in. And number four, when in doubt, just

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<v Speaker 2>make sure you talk to an expert because nothing hurts

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<v Speaker 2>more than watching someone else win with your idea. This

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<v Speaker 2>has been the seven minute Leadership podcast, and I thank

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<v Speaker 2>you for listening.

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<v Speaker 1>For more. Paul Fellovlito Podcast. Visit Paul fellowalito dot com.