Role of Intellectual Property protection in setting up an ecommerce business

Intellectual Property Rights play a crucial role in the smooth functioning of every businesses. It permits a business enterprise to utilize their inventions and innovations for gaining monetary benefits and market leadership over their competitors. IP Rights also protect your innovations from being exploited by others for their personal gains. Despite its importance, people often neglect to protect their IP assets with proper IP registration. Here, let us discuss the role of intellectual property protection in setting up an ecommerce business.

Importance of Intellectual Property in E-Commerce

With frequent developments in the technological infrastructure, it has become more necessary than ever before to appreciate the need of Intellectual Property in e-commerce. These are a few benefits of securing your ecommerce business with IP rights.

Protection against infringement

Intellectual Property laws help to safeguard a company’s intangible properties like software, design, music, website/app layout etc that are sold over an online platform from being stolen by other competitors. The lack of effective IP laws in this digital world can lead to several intellectual property violations happening every day. This will result in the original creators from being unrewarded for their valuable creations. But, with proper practices related to intellectual property protection in ecommerce industry, companies can easily secure their rights.

Helps in product licensing

For an online business to function properly, it needs the collaboration of various digital technologies and components that are usually outsourced by different companies. In such cases, these technologies are patented by the companies and shared using licensing agreements. Thus, the products can be easily secured by the terms and conditions specified in the agreement based on intellectual property protection.

Prevents unfair competition

Securing your ecommerce business with IP rights will help to avoid unfair competition in the field. Businesses today survive in a very competitive world that tries to beat their rival companies by any means. So, by protecting your IP assets by registering your copyrights, patents and trademarks, businesses can remain safe from being cheated by their opponents/competitors.

Provides global acceptability

An ecommerce business has the potential to grow globally very easily compared to other trades. The online platform reduces the distance between people and nations. In such cases, it is very essential to patent/copyright your IP assets as it offers global acceptability to your products, services, artistic/literary works.

Prevention against violating another company’s IP rights

Proper enforcement of IP laws and practices in the industry helps you in both ways – In one way it protects your intellectual property assets from being stolen by others, and on the other hand it prevents your company from accidentally violating another company’s IP rights. Also, while selling products of other companies through your ecommerce platform, ensure that you do not violate the copyright policies.

Elements covered under IP laws in e-commerce

E-commerce business owners have to secure various kinds of IP assets of which the major elements are listed below. These may vary depending on each country’s intellectual property laws.

  • Ecommerce businesses can protect their brand names, product names, logos and domain names on their websites under the Trademark Law.
  • You can patent several internet tools like search engines.
  • Software, HTML codes etc. are subject to copyright laws.
  • Ecommerce website design/layout can be protected under IP laws.
  • All website contents like writings, images, graphics and videos are protected under copyright laws.
  • IP laws allow companies to protect their database
  • Computer-generated displays, graphic signals, webpages and graphical user interfaces are protected under the Industrial Design Law applicable in each country.
  • Confidential graphics, object and source codes, algorithms and programs, technical descriptions, logic and data flow charts, user manuals and data structures are protected under various Trade Secret Laws.

Conclusion

With ecommerce businesses witnessing high growth rate these days, it is essential to safeguard the industry from unethical competitions and exploitations. Strict adherence to IP rules and practices by all companies can ensure a smooth functioning of businesses within every country. Without proper enforcement of Intellectual Property rights, a fair compliance to digital strategies could not be achieved.

At Axiom Mark, we offer comprehensive support to companies for ensuring total intellectual property protection. Our qualified IP lawyers will assist you in registering your trademarks, patents, copyrights and designs related to ecommerce business in the easiest possible way.

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