Illegal use of an object of intellectual property rights in Ukraine – the price of a lawyer’s help

If you are faced with the fact that the object of your intellectual property is being used without permission, then there are few options for further actions. The first: to come to terms with the fact that unscrupulous people have stolen the fruit of your time, effort and labor. Second: fight for your rights. It is not as difficult as it seems, because the law is completely on your side.

Types of illegal use of the object of intellectual property rights

When music, videos, images, texts are copied or sold without the permission of the owner, this is only a small part of the list of copyright violations. Any use of an object of intellectual property or its part without the permission of the right holder is considered illegal. Example:

• Publication on sites, blogs or social networks of someone else's content without indicating the source.
• Plagiarism of other people's scientific works, articles or ideas, when other people pass them off as their own.
• Use and distribution of software without the knowledge of the copyright owner.
• Partial or full illegal copying of literary, scientific and artistic works.
• Violation of terms of the license agreement.
• Creating a similar trademark to mislead buyers.
• Production of a patented product without the consent of the right holder.
• Forgery of original works of art.

Even if you have allowed someone to use your intellectual product or have it custom-made, this does not mean that they can now dispose of it as they wish. Properly drafted contracts will retain all copyrights with you, including a ban on changing the product without your approval.

How to minimize the risks of illegal use of the object of intellectual property rights in Ukraine

No right holder is immune from the theft of an intellectual product. The following recommendations will help protect your copyrights and minimize losses from copyright infringement:

1. When creating a product for a client, be sure to include an agreement on the creation to order and use of the object of intellectual property rights. This way, you will protect yourself from the fact that the customer changes his mind about paying for your work or copies the work with impunity.
2. Submit an application for registration of a work, patent, trademark, etc., to the National Office of Intellectual Property. This will give you formal rights to your product, making it much easier to protect them.
3. When online, use strong passwords, data encryption, or other security measures to prevent unauthorized access to your information.
4. Include a confidentiality or non-disclosure clause in customer contracts to protect sensitive data.
5. Track how your intellectual property is being used and look for cases of infringement. Pay special attention to the Internet and social networks.

If you are faced with a violation of your copyright, seek help from professionals who specialize in such matters. Intellectual property lawyers Prykhodko and partners will seek to stop the illegal use of the object, punish the violator and compensate for damages.

For a consultation or calculation of the exact cost of a lawyer's assistance in matters of illegal use of an object of intellectual property rights in Ukraine or abroad - fill out the form below!