IP Protection for Physical Products: What to File First
Patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyright, trade dress—physical products can need all of them. Here’s what each covers and the order that actually makes sense.
September 1, 2026
Copyright laws govern ownership and rights to original works of intellectual and artistic expression, including:
- written works such as books, pamphlets, or magazines;
- artistic works such as movies, photographs, music, drawings, paintings, live performances, and sculpture; and
- commercial works such as software programs, business plans and charts, websites, graphic designs, and data compilations.
We help clients protect their copyright rights through registration and other strategies.
Copyright Services
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General advice
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Application for registration with the United States Copyright Office
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Assignments
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Licensing
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Cease-and-desist letters
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DMCA takedown notices
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Social media takedown notices
Fees
We work using flat rates. You will know up front what the total cost will be for the services most appropriate for you, barring unforeseen circumstances.
Common fees are listed in the downloadable fee schedule. Additional attorney and Copyright Office filing fees may apply to these listed fees. The fees listed here are starting points. Fees ultimately depend on the complexity of the work required.
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What Coca-Cola Did to Johnny Cash — And Why Every Creator Should Be Terrified
Last November, the Johnny Cash estate sued Coca-Cola for using a tribute singer specifically chosen to sound like the Man in Black, without permission, without a license, without paying a single cent. Sound familiar? It should. Frito-Lay tried the exact same thing with Tom Waits in 1992 and lost two and a half million dollars. Brands have been stealing artists’ voices, content, and identities for decades. And it’s not just celebrities at risk. If you’re a creator signing brand deals, or a business hiring influencers, your contracts may be doing the same thing right now without you realizing it. I’m Julie King, a patent and IP attorney with over 25 years of experience, and today we’re talking about the three legal traps hiding in almost every influencer and marketing contract.
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And here is what makes it genuinely spooky: the wrong assumption can cost you your copyright. It can sink your trademark application. It can leave you building a brand on a foundation you do not actually own.
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Beginning-of-Year IP Checkup Checklist: The Annual Exorcism of Business Horror, Part 2
This week, I’m talking about something potentially even more valuable that EVERY business has: your intellectual property.
ALL businesses have intellectual property, and for many businesses, intellectual property IS the business. Your brand name, your logo, your proprietary processes, your creative content; they’re often the most valuable assets you own.
Despite all that truth, most business owners have no idea (1) that they have IP, (2) what IP they actually have, (3) whether their IP is protected, or (4) when critical deadlines are coming up.
That changes today.
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