Your most valuable business property may be a trademark, tradename or computer program; a manufacturing process or customer list; a chemical formula or the personal contacts of your sales force. Such assets are not tangible but they are real. This property is intellectual property. You should make an inventory of such property and take appropriate steps to protect it. These steps might include:

• Identification of the intellectual property
• Identification of persons with access to the property
• Non-competition agreements drawn with care and restraint to maximize enforceability
• Registration of names, logos and trademarks in appropriate government offices
• Copyright and patent registrations
• Institution and maintenance of a vigorous program of protection against infringement.

Carlile Patchen & Murphy can help you with the identification and protection of your intellectual property through our own attorneys and staff and our associate patent counsel.