Week 15: Intellectual Property and Fundraising
Submitted to: Mrs. Miriam Bergado | Technopreneurship | CPE3B
The simplicity of starting a business with a niche idea attracts many entrepreneurs. While a few have gone on to become household names, many more have struggled to get their foot in the door. Nonetheless, startups are the 'in thing,' and they frequently bring about changes in business models and trends, necessitating quick legal compliance and proactive IP analysis.
“The Philippine Constitution promulgated in 1987 recognized the importance of intellectual property in Article XIV, Section 13: “The State shall protect and secure the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors, artists, and other gifted citizens to their intellectual property and creations, particularly when beneficial to the people, for such period as may be provided by law.”
To take advantage of the niche, the entrepreneur must protect the company plans from breach of confidentially and public exposure, especially if the startup is expected to encounter current competitors and has a high consumer appeal. These rights are valuable assets that can be licensed or allocated for a fee. In order to obtain and safeguard IP rights, entrepreneurs must keep records, ideally documentation, to show the date of creation of the expression.
Start-ups may not want other firms to duplicate their ideas in any way, which would not only diminish the company's revenue but also harm its brand value due to the false products / processes. Furthermore, the protection not only prevents others from manufacturing, using, or selling the innovations, but it also helps to avoid infringements with previously created works, which could result in costly litigation.