Protecting Your Startup
Trademarks, trade secrets, patents, agreements and the habits that keep a startup's most valuable assets yours, from first idea to exit.
A startup is mostly things you can lose: a name, a body of code, a set of secrets, an invention, a handshake with a partner. These guides cover how to protect each one at the stage where it matters, from choosing a name you can own to the agreements that make sure the company owns what gets built.
They are arranged as an A to Z of the startup lifecycle. Start with the stages overview, then use the checklist and playbook to see what applies to you now.
Guides in this topic
- Startup Lifecycle Stages: Idea to Exit, ExplainedStartup lifecycle stages explained: Idea, Build, Launch, Raise, Grow and Exit, with the goals, risks, what to build and what to protect at each stage.
- How to Protect Your Startup Before Launch: A PlaybookHow to protect your startup before launch: a phase by phase IP playbook covering names, domains, agreements, NDAs, patents, notices, terms and launch day.
- Startup IP Audit Checklist: Find Gaps in 90 MinutesPractical IP audit checklist for startups: inventory names, code, inventions, data, content, agreements and open source, with scoring and a 90 minute workflow.
- How to Protect Your Startup Brand: Domains and HandlesHow to protect your startup brand: the order to search a name, register the domain, claim handles, form the entity and file a trademark.
- Employee Invention Assignment Agreements for StartupsEmployee invention assignment agreement basics: what employees, contractors and interns sign on day one so your startup owns the IP they create.
- NDA for Startups: When to Sign and When to SkipNDA for startups explained: clause by clause, when to ask for one, when not to, who to ask, mutual vs one-way, how long it should last, and a decision table.
- How to Protect Your Startup Idea When PitchingHow to protect your startup idea when pitching: what the law protects, why investors skip NDAs, staged disclosure, and what to keep out of a pitch deck.
- Types of Patents for Startups: Utility, Design, PlantTypes of patents explained for founders: utility, design and plant patents, plus provisional vs non-provisional, with a table showing which fits your product.
- Patent Process for Startups: Step by StepThe patent process for startups step by step: invention disclosure, prior art search, provisional, non-provisional, office actions, allowance and maintenance.
- TM vs Registered Trademark Symbol: When to Use EachTM vs registered trademark symbol, copyright notice format and what patent pending means: who may use each, when, and the risks of misuse.
- Open Source Licenses for Startups: A Practical GuideOpen source licenses for startups explained: permissive vs copyleft, MIT vs Apache vs GPL, what triggers obligations, license scanning and investor diligence.
- IP Licensing for Startups: Key Terms and Deal ChecklistIP licensing for startups: licensing out and in, exclusive vs non-exclusive, royalty vs flat fee, field of use, key terms and a deal checklist.
- IP Ownership in a Partnership: Joint Development GuideIP ownership in a partnership: background vs foreground IP, joint development agreements, co-owned patent risks and a larger-partner checklist.
- International IP Protection for Startups: A First GuideInternational IP protection for startups: PCT patent filings, the Paris Convention priority year, Madrid trademarks, and when to go global with your IP.
- Freedom to Operate: Infringement Risk for StartupsFreedom to operate explained for founders: why owning a patent is not enough, how clearance searches work, and what to do if a cease and desist letter arrives.
- How to Find an IP Attorney for Your StartupHow to find an IP attorney for your startup: trademark attorney vs patent attorney vs patent agent, how fees work, how to vet them, questions to ask, red flags.
- How IP Affects Startup Valuation: What Investors WeighHow IP affects startup valuation: what investors and buyers check (ownership, scope, defensibility), what moves confidence, and how to show IP in a data room.
- Startup Moat: What It Is and How to Build OneWhat a startup moat is, the main kinds (network effects, switching costs, data, brand, IP), and an honest way to judge how defensible your company really is.
- IP Deadlines for Startups: A Year-by-Year CalendarIP deadlines for startups in one calendar: provisional patent 12 months, one year grace period, trademark filings, copyright timing, domains and assignments.
- Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for StartupsTerms of service for a startup and privacy policy basics: what each document does, key clauses in plain English, GDPR and CCPA basics, and why not to copy.
- What Happens to IP When a Startup Shuts Down or SellsWhat happens to IP when a startup shuts down or sells: asset vs stock sales, IP representations and warranties, what buyers check, and a wind-down checklist.
Key terms
Other topics
- Startup Funding and Capital
- Starting a Startup
- Running a Startup
- Startup Growth and Customers
- Entrepreneurship Fundamentals
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