I hear it all the time ... "I can't afford to protect
my intellectual property." Let me tell you that the reverse is
true for a startup ... you can't afford NOT to protect your
intellectual property! If you've decided to take the leap and
embark on a start-up adventure, then you will want to do everything
in your power to succeed.
Early stage companies are typically built on a great idea and a
lot of hope. These companies have not yet had the opportunity to
acquire tangible assets or to build significant sales revenue (if
any!). Consequently, the value in these companies is often in their
ideas and their ability to create products/services from those
ideas. Potential investors and partners won't take a second
look at a company if those ideas are not protected, or protectable.
The assumption is that all new companies have a great idea,
however, investors and partners alike need to know that they will
have a defensible competitive advantage over other companies
