Intellectual Property Protection
Cloud Peak Capital provides Intellectual Property Protection for entrepreneurs and business owners who need to protect their hard-earned creations and ideas from theft and unfair competition. There are four main types of intellectual property that we use to protect your business: (1) Copyrights, (2) Patents, (3) Trademarks and (4) Trade Secrets.
Copyrights
Copyrights protect original works of authorship, such as literature, music, artistic works, and computer software. As the holder of a copyright, you have the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, and distribute your work. The duration of the copyright depends on several factors, but generally a copyright lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. A copyright exists from the moment the work is created; however, registered works are protected in a copyright infringement suit.
Patents
Patents grant property rights on inventions, allowing you to exclude others from making, selling or using your invention. There are 3 types of patents: Utility, Design and Plant. A Utility Patent is the most common type, and it covers any process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvements thereof. To qualify for a Utility Patent, your invention must be novel, nonobvious, and have some usefulness. A Design Patent covers any new, original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture, and a Plant Patent covers new varieties of plants that are produced within specific guidelines. A Utility Patent lasts 20 years, a Design Patent lasts 14 years, and a Plant Patent also lasts 20 years.
Trade Secrets
Trade Secrets are formulas, processes, devices, or other confidential business information that gives you an advantage over your competitors. Examples of Trade Secrets are chicken recipes, soda formulas, customer lists, survey results and computer algorithms. Unlike Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks, you cannot obtain protection by registering your Trade Secret. (Thus why Coca-Cola has kept its secret formula locked inside impenetrable vaults for over 125 years) Trade Secret protection lasts only as long as you take the necessary steps to control the disclosure and use of the Trade Secret with non-disclosure agreements, restricted employee and post-employment access and restrictive covenants, and other security practices.
Trademarks
Trademarks are words, phrases, symbols or designs that distinguish the source of your goods from your competitors. For example, the Nike “swoosh” design identifies shoes that are made by Nike. Trademark rights are acquired by use, but registration is the guaranteed way to protect and enforce your trademark. An active trademark can last indefinitely. The key is that the owner must continue to use the trademark for it to remain valid.
What We Do
Cloud Peak Capital connects businesses with investors to create mutually beneficial relationships. We facilitate and enhance those connections by providing support and consulting across a wide variety of spectrums including business formation, marketing and intellectual property protection.
Community
Here are a few of the community organizations and charities we work with and/or support:
