Protective Clothing Can I show people my designs without losing the shirt off my back?
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Question: I'min the process of creating more than 50 new imprinted T-shirts,whose designs can also be used for bumper stickers, posters,buttons and more. How can I protect my ideas, slogans, phrases andlogos when showing and discussing them with professional graphicartists or companies I hire to help me get professional-qualityfinal designs?
Aslam Romani
Via e-mail
Answer: First,before showing your creative product to anyone, get him or her tosign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). An NDA, which identifies whatyou're protecting, covers confidentiality, circulation,duplication and use of the information being provided. An at-torneycan prepare your NDA, or you can prepare it yourself, preferablywith an attorney reviewing it. You don't want to use someoneelse's NDA, because they almost always favor whoever writesthem. Having a formal NDA may scare off a few people, but it letsthe rest know you're serious and fully prepared to use the lawto protect your interest.
Second, you may be able to copyright and trademark yourcreations. To get advice on what you can protect and the best waysto do it, consult an attorney who specializes in intellectualproperty law. You can prepare ahead of time by checking out theinformation online at the UnitedStates Copyright Office of The Library of Congress and theU.S. Patent and TrademarkOffice. Some states also offer trademark protection.
You can start looking for an attorney at Web sites that listat-torneys by specialty. One such site is www.martindalehubbell.com,the online version of the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. Theprint version is available in legal libraries and in the referencesections of many public libraries. Another good site to visit isAttorneyPages, whichlists the attorneys you're looking for under the category ofCopyright, Trademark & IP (Intellectual Property).
Nolo Press also publishes several helpful books, includingThe Copyright Handbook: How to Protect and UseWritten Words by Stephen Fishman and Trademark: Legal Care for Your Business &Product Name by Stephen Elias and Kate McGrath. You canfind out more at www.nolo.com.
Small-business experts Paul and Sarah Edwards' latestbook is Changing Directions Without Losing Your Way(Putnam Publishing Group). Send them your start-up businessquestions at www.workingfromhome.com or incare of Entrepreneur.
