INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Do you run a small business? Own a website? Work with vendors and independent contractors as part of your business? Use computers? Then you probably have intellectual property issues and do not even realize it. Put Dineen’s extensive experience in copyright, trademark, trade secret and patent litigation and counseling to work for you, and ensure that you are getting full value out of the intellectual property you work hard to create, and that no one else is claiming credit for your work. Dineen’s clients have included authors, professional photographers, software developers, law firms, health care providers, and other businesses, small and large. Whether you need to enforce or defend your rights, Dineen can help.
COPYRIGHTS
All businesses create and use copyrighted material every day – whether or not they obtain a copyright registration or use the © symbol. That’s because copyright subsists in any original work of authorship from the moment it is fixed in a tangible medium of expression, as it says in the Copyright Act. But is your business taking the steps it needs to protect its copyrights? Or worse, is your business paying for valuable writings, illustrations, photographs, web design, or other copyright-protected material without actually obtaining the copyright rights in those materials? Dineen can help you sort out your rights and form a plan of action for protecting them. And if you are already embroiled in a dispute, Dineen can help you negotiate, and if necessary, litigate.
TRADEMARKS AND TRADE DRESS
Your trademark and trade dress identifies your company as the source of your valuable goods or services. But are you doing all you can to ensure that it is protected and customers are not being confused by someone else using a similar trademark or trade dress? While trademark rights exist whether or not you have a trademark registration, could your business benefit from investing in a trademark registration? Dineen can help you analyze and manage your valuable branding and ensure that you are protecting your business to the fullest. And if you have a dispute with someone over your use of a trademark – whether someone is infringing your trademark, or you’ve received a cease and desist letter – Dineen’s extensive experience in both pre-litigation trademark dispute resolution and trademark litigation can help you find a solution to your problem.
TRADE SECRETS
The only way to truly protect your valuable business idea is to maintain it as a trade secret. But the law requires anyone seeking to enforce a trade secret to take reasonable steps to maintain that secrecy, and it is critical to have proper procedures in place, or you risk losing the value of your secret. Dineen’s extensive experience in litigating cases under Florida’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act gives her an edge in advising businesses like yours on the best ways to use the Trade Secrets Act to protect the most important aspects of your business.
NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENTS
Non-competition agreements serve an important role in protecting a company’s most valuable assets – its clients, customers, and prospective customers. Florida has special rules that apply to non-competition agreements, and if the agreement does not follow the law, parts or all of it may be invalid. If you are a company looking to protect trade secrets or other valuable rights, either with employees or even with independent contractors, you need a written non-competition agreement. Dineen can help. And if you are an employee about to change jobs and need to analyze the scope of your obligations under an existing agreement, call Dineen for a consultation to be sure you know your rights before you leave.
