IP Risks of Reward Crowdfunding – PART III: Losing Your Brand
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IP Risks of Reward Crowdfunding – PART III: Losing Your Brand

It is tempting to include a catchy name for your product in your crowdfunding proposal in the hopes of attracting attention from potential donors. However, it is important to be aware of the risks posed by crowdfunding to the ownership of your trademark. In the U.S. and Canada, the first party to use a trademark…

IP Risks of Reward Crowdfunding – PART II: Losing Control of Your Idea
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IP Risks of Reward Crowdfunding – PART II: Losing Control of Your Idea

While crowdfunding platforms can give entrepreneurs access to customers and capital, they also present many risks that can cause unsuspecting entrepreneurs to lose control of their ideas. For instance, crowdfunding puts the ideas of many early stage entrepreneurs at risk of being stolen by better-funded investors or large corporations since many crowdfunding users will lack…

IP Risks of Reward Crowdfunding – PART I: Patents
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IP Risks of Reward Crowdfunding – PART I: Patents

If you read the terms and conditions that govern your use of any crowdfunding platform, you will quickly discover that crowdfunding platforms do not offer any protection for your intellectual property. Therefore, public disclosure of your intellectual property on these platforms can have a significant impact on its legal status. It is also important to…