Dallas Texas Business Law Blog

In a constantly evolving society, trade secrets are increasingly harder to protect. Businesses rely on trade secrets for maintaining a competitive edge in their industries. However, advancements in digital technology put intellectual property at risk. Trade secret litigation is on the rise, and unfortunately, oftentimes legal action is not quick enough. The result may be disastrous for companies.

There’s no shortage of things to do when forming a business. Choosing a location or office, drafting a business plan, picking a business model and securing financing are the big ones to get started, but there are infinite small steps throughout the process that will ultimately guide how successful a business becomes.

Which employees are hired and how they behave is vital to any brand, whether in customer service, business-to-business operations or manufacturing. Employee skills are paramount, but so is their integrity. One bad apple can be costly and it’s up to management to find ways to reduce and respond to unethical behavior.

Receiving a notice of an inspection from the Department of Labor (DOL) can be intimidating for a small business. These audits typically arise after a complaint is made by an employee, often due to a wage dispute.

These audits will usually come with little advanced notice, meaning your business may have to quickly scramble to compile proper documentation needed to defend yourself. This makes it critical that you act quickly. Prompt action on your part will better ensure you are able to achieve a more favorable outcome once the audit has been concluded.

Are you trying to grow your business? Do you have a strategy in place to protect the ideas that make your business unique?

You and your business are successful for so many reasons. You provide a unique or superior product, or efficient service to your customers, and for that reason, clients consistently come back to you. Your business premise may be simple, and you may assume that developing and protecting Intellectual Property (IP) is of no use or does not provide any additional value to the company.

Contrary to popular belief, IP is a necessity for any thriving business these days. IP encompasses a variety of business and individual protections including Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets. Regardless of the type of business, proper branding and protection of valuable ideas and proprietary information is imperative to survival and long term growth. All businesses possess some form of IP, and business owners need to be equipped with the requisite tools for protection.