Protect Your Good Ideas

The board of directors they gathered included licensing and patent attorneys as well as accountants and industrial engineers.

"Go and seek legal advice right off the bat," Skovron said. "You really need to seek out people with the right areas of expertise."

Cover every angle. Skovron's company, Pup-Pee Solutions, has since added new products to its lineup and expanded its market to 73 regions around the world. Skovron patents and trademarks each product as it's developed. "We have invested heavily in our intellectual property," he said.

Fight the good fight. Skovron has legal proceedings under way against a couple of imitators.

"I will use every dollar I have and more to chase down someone who decides to rip me off," Skovron said. "It's not just me. I've got 60 other people (employees) to think of."

Pick a weapon. Patent or trademark? Is one better than the other? It depends on your objective, says Oliver Herzfeld, chief legal officer at Beanstalk Group, a brand licensing firm. "Patents protect the inventor," he said. "A trademark is basically protecting the (product) name."

In other words, patents prevent competitors from re-creating your product for 20 years. A trademark prevents them from using your product's name for as long as you're in business. "If you fail to use your trademark in commerce for a certain period of time, you lose your rights," Herzfeld said.

Keep your secrets. Bug Bam's inventor and president, Joseph Symond, chose to trademark everything about his all-natural mosquito-repellent wristband rather than patent it.

With the latter, "you have to put down every single part of the process," he said. "It becomes like an instruction book on how to create my product." He plans to keep that secret for the long run.

Watch for squatters. People don't just steal business ideas. They can ride on another firm's coattails. That's what happened to Symond.

"A competitor hacked into my Web site and put their TV commercial on my Web site," Symond said. "I'm filing my first lawsuit ever in my life."

Beat your drum. Besides legal wrangling, Symond devotes energy to teaching consumers why his repellent is safe and effective. "All the advertising I do is focused on educating the customer," he said.

While his blog may have a limited audience, it has a long reach.

"That blog gets picked up (and re-posted) by multiple sources," Symond said. "I write it more like a public service announcement with real facts and figures."

By COLLEEN DEBAISE

Adapted from the upcoming book THE WALL STREET JOURNAL COMPLETE SMALL BUSINESS GUIDEBOOK (Three Rivers Press, Dec. 29, 2009).

You want to spread the word about your business. But you also want to keep your innovative product or clever brand name safe from rivals, counterfeiters or rip-off artists.

What to do? Safeguarding your company's intellectual property through patents, trademarks or copyrights will allow you to seek damages, a big deterrent to imitators. Here's a brief overview of all three types of protection.

Getty Images

Shadow of businesswoman by projection screen

Patents. Issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office(USPTO), a patent is easily the most expensive— and most valuable— protection for an entrepreneur with a innovative product or business method. A patent essentially gives you a mini-monopoly for twenty years. The application process can be a bit complicated, so it's wise to use the services of a patent attorney. Costs generally range from $2,000 to $10,000, depending on complexity.

Trademarks. A word, symbol, logo or image that identifies a product or service can be trademarked, as can a scent, sound or color (such as Tiffany Blue). There are more than forty classes of goods and services, and you can register a trademark (for a fee) in more than one category. A pastry shop ower, for instance, could register a trademark in both the food class (in the goods category) and the restaurant class (in the services category). You can conduct a free search to see if a mark is already registered on the USPTO's Web site using the Trademark Electronic Search System. The filing fee is $375 if done by paper and $275 to $325 if done electronically.

Copyright. A copyright protects original works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software and architectural designs. A business, for instance, might want a copyright to protect its training manual. Original works on a website (such as writings, artwork or photos) may be copyrighted. Copyright law does not protect domain names; instead, the nonprofit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbershandles domain name system management. The fee for a basic copyright registration is $45 when you submit a paper application, or you can lower that fee by filing through the U.S. Copyright Office's online system for $35.

Keep in mind that if you plan on selling or distributing your products abroad, you should consider filing with those countries' intellectual property protection authorities in addition to those in the United States.

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Pup-Pee Solutions has carried out each and every step outlined above through the assistance of Davies Collison Cave. Patents, Copyright & Trademarks have all been granted to Pup-Pee Solutions for its original ideas and concepts.

As a result, should Pup-Pee Solutions feel violated in any way or its patents infringed upon, prompt action will be taken.

In a recent interview Tobi Skovron (CEO of Pup-Pee Solutions) summarised by saying “to the consumer beware of imitations and to the imitators don’t play around with other people’s business. It’s not right it’s only a matter of time until you are found out, tried and forced by the letter of the law to pay back everything you have stolen”

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Protect Your Good Ideas

By Sonja Carberry

You've come up with a great product and put it on the market. Almost immediately people are imitating or even stealing your idea. What to do? Details on protecting what's yours:

• Assemble a team. Billed as a "backyard in a box," the Pet Loo invented by Tobi Skovron and his wife, Simone, lets dogs do their business indoors on a hygienic, synthetic-grass-covered box. Before dropping the Pet Loo on the marketplace in 2003, the couple surrounded themselves with an arsenal of experts who'd "been there, done that," Tobi Skovron told IBD.

The board of directors they gathered included licensing and patent attorneys as well as accountants and industrial engineers.

"Go and seek legal advice right off the bat," Skovron said. "You really need to seek out people with the right areas of expertise."

• Cover every angle. Skovron's company, Pup-Pee Solutions, has since added new products to its lineup and expanded its market to 73 regions around the world. Skovron patents and trademarks each product as it's developed. "We have invested heavily in our intellectual property," he said.

• Fight the good fight. Skovron has legal proceedings under way against a couple of imitators.

"I will use every dollar I have and more to chase down someone who decides to rip me off," Skovron said. "It's not just me. I've got 60 other people (employees) to think of."

• Pick a weapon. Patent or trademark? Is one better than the other? It depends on your objective, says Oliver Herzfeld, chief legal officer at Beanstalk Group, a brand licensing firm. "Patents protect the inventor," he said. "A trademark is basically protecting the (product) name."

In other words, patents prevent competitors from re-creating your product for 20 years. A trademark prevents them from using your product's name for as long as you're in business. "If you fail to use your trademark in commerce for a certain period of time, you lose your rights," Herzfeld said.

• Keep your secrets. Bug Bam's inventor and president, Joseph Symond, chose to trademark everything about his all-natural mosquito-repellent wristband rather than patent it.

With the latter, "you have to put down every single part of the process," he said. "It becomes like an instruction book on how to create my product." He plans to keep that secret for the long run.

• Watch for squatters. People don't just steal business ideas. They can ride on another firm's coattails. That's what happened to Symond.

"A competitor hacked into my Web site and put their TV commercial on my Web site," Symond said. "I'm filing my first lawsuit ever in my life."

• Beat your drum. Besides legal wrangling, Symond devotes energy to teaching consumers why his repellent is safe and effective. "All the advertising I do is focused on educating the customer," he said.

While his blog may have a limited audience, it has a long reach.

"That blog gets picked up (and re-posted) by multiple sources," Symond said. "I write it more like a public service announcement with real facts and figures."

By: Brendan Floyd 

When you gotta go….you gotta go – and your dog doesn’t know how much you paid for that Persian rug. If your pet is doing its outside business inside, Pup Pee Solutions has the answer with The Pet Loo.  This “backyard in a box” will forever eliminate those early morning bathroom runs, inclement weather walks, and the apprehension over leaving your pet alone for too long.

The Pet Loo features durable synthetic grass atop a platform and a hygienic urine drainage system designed for easy maintenance. No longer will your canine need to rely on you for its dirty deeds, which means peace of mind and a cleaner house.

Tobi Skovron and his wife Simone developed The Pet Loo after purchasing a dog in 2003. Living in an apartment, Tobi & Simone immediately became aware of the difficulties of having a pet and no yard, thus inspiring the creation of the prototype Pet Loo. After three years of developing and fine tuning, the invention hit the market in 2006.

In just three years the product has exploded, enjoying success in 73 countries and earning a devoted following from those who otherwise could not own a dog. “Pets and people’s lifestyles are often impractical. The Pet Loo is a solution rather than just a product,” Tobi remarks. “Our success is genuine and the retailers who have got on board have made a lot of money.” Tobi implores all retailers to “have a go and take a chance,” citing that too much stagnancy can be very detrimental in a slow market.

While several imitators have cropped up, none come close to Pup Pee Solutions. They aggressively preserve their patent protection and intellectual property, ensuring the consumer gets only the best quality product at a reasonable cost.

Whether you’re a busy traveling professional, or just own a dog that’s indiscriminate over its toilet location, there’s no better alternative.

For complete details visit:

USA: www.thepetloo.com/us

Canada: www.thepetloo.com/ca

Australia: www.thepetloo.com/au

UK: www.thepetloo.com/uk

New Zeland: www.thepetloo.com/nz

Taiwan: www.thepetloo.com/tw

Netherlands: www.thepetloo.com/nl

Germany: www.thepetloo.com/de

Brazil: www.thepetloo.com/br

Japan: www.thepetloo.com/jp

Hong Kong: www.thepetloo.com/hk

Singapore: www.thepetloo.com/sg

Italy: www.thepetloo.com/it

Other: www.thepetloo.com/global

New York - January 15, 2009

By Sharon Forest

CEO & Co-Founder of Pup-Pee Solutions Tobi Skovron is one guy that doesn’t take his success for granted.

Skovron revealed on Thursday that he has done everything to date by the book. Naturally with a highly successful company selling in over seventy three countries and a highly recognisable brand around the world (The Pet Loo) he could become the target of people trying to copy him.

After sitting down with Skovron just hours before he boarded yet another flight (to take care of business in another foreign market of the world) I asked him all about how he goes about protecting his intellectual property rights around the world.

“Simone and I started developing The Pet Loo (and value add brands) in early 2003. Since then we have put everything we had on the line to make this a success. Money, time, sleepless nights, the list is endless.  It hasn’t just happened - where we are at today is a result of the several years of hard work behind the scenes. You’ve got to be serious, strategic and passionate about what you’re doing and apply yourself accordingly”.

 “In 2003, right from the start we formed a board of directors. The board comprised of licensing attorneys, patent attorneys, international accountants, successful businessmen, industrial engineers and some genuinely business savvy people”. We followed the advice of our board and geared hard (out of our own pockets) towards protecting our ideas and concepts. We did this through registering our intellectual property (Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Copy right etc) multiple times, covering every aspect of what is ours”.

“Some six years on we represent the good side, two people that worked hard, put in the time, energy and passion to make sure our customers have the best! There will always be competitors that represent the other side and try to knock you off, should that happen to us our company Pup-Pee Solutions will defend our rights and products to no end”

“In a nut shell, I’m not scared to chase down anyone that infringes on my rights and the rights of my company; I worked too hard to have anything stolen from me”

Skovron summarised by saying “to the consumer beware of imitations and to the imitators don’t play around with other people’s business. It’s not right it’s only a matter of time until you are found out, tried and forced by the letter of the law to pay back everything you have stolen”

Skovron and his US / Canadian based team head to Orlando next month where they will exhibit at the Annual Global Pet Expo (www.globalpetexpo.org). “Above all else the facts are retailers we are doing business with around the world and will be doing business with in the future recognise intellectual property and would never stock a product that infringes on someone else’s rights. They know that it can’t go on the shelf, so they aren’t going to invest their money in stock they can’t sell”

Quite simply he added “Probably one thing to take home from this is by having protected intellectual property, it’s not some sort of fancy placard we hang in the office. If it comes down to it we took out the protection to enforce and maintain what belongs to us”.