How Important Is Intellectual Property Protection To Your Startup?

As per the INC. magazine:

"...a strong IP portfolio will be vitally important to your ability to play the long game. The world's largest innovators, including Google, Microsoft and Apple, seem to agree. During the past six months, these companies have spent more than $18 billion on intellectual property alone"

Therefore, startup owners should be aware and make sure that they take all necessary steps to protect their intellectual property rights, even from the first steps they take.

The main relevant questions for the intellectual property protection of a startup are the following:

• How was your startup idea developed?
• Do you have an original branding idea? How do you protect it?