20th Anniversary SAC Attorneys
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Expertise - Best Employment Lawyers in Santa Clara 2021
Expertise - Best Employment Lawyers in Santa Clara 2022

The Importance of Protecting Your Intellectual Property

Software developers these days often face a frustrating dilemma. Online piracy is so common and so easy that many people no longer see the point registering patents or copyrights. Enforcement just seems too cumbersome.

While this attitude is certainly understandable, it is nonetheless misguided. If you are a software developer, it’s now more important than ever before to protect your intellectual property through registration.

First, it should be noted that creators of computer software can sometimes obtain patents, copyrights or both. While patenting seems like a natural course of action, not every piece of software will be eligible. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has become much more discriminating in terms of what kinds of software can be patented. This is in response to the proliferation of patent trolling, wherein people would patent abstract ideas or commonplace methods of doing business in order to file infringement suits later on.

What this means for the rest of us is that patent protection is not always available. As such, it may be a good idea to also seek copyright protection for your work.

Perhaps the best reason to apply for patents and copyrights is that these protections make the litigation process easier, and can make it more lucrative. If you haven’t copyrighted your software, for instance, you can still sue someone for infringement. But you will need to prove actual damages, and your recovery will be limited to what you can prove. If you have registered your software prior to infringement, however, you do not need to prove actual damages, and may be eligible for larger financial recovery.

Because applying for registration is cheap and relatively easy, there are few (if any) good arguments against registering for patent and copyright protection. If you have questions or would like to get started, please seek the help of an experienced attorney.

Client Reviews
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Mr. Cai Is a Diligent Attorney. My sister and I were defendants in a civil litigation case. We hired James Cai and his law firm, SAC Attorneys LLP. Mr. Cai is a diligent attorney and responded to our questions in a timely fashion. He and his staff were very helpful in keeping us informed of the proceedings of the case and in explaining each step. Mr. Cai is also very conscientious of fees and costs, and avoided unnecessary charges. The results of the Summary Adjudication sided with us. The Court Trial resulted in the “Final Statement of Decision” and “Judgment after Court Trial” overwhelmingly siding with us. Cynthia F.
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I Am Truly Impressed. After spending a significant amount of time, money and efforts with my previous counsel at a larger law firm without getting meaningful results, I transferred my employment matter to SAC Attorneys LLP. The attorneys there were able to understand the complex situations of my case and put together an aggressive litigation strategy. We were able to file a compelling complaint within a week and forced the opposing party, which was represented by one of the largest law firms in California, to make a substantial settlement offer shortly thereafter. I am truly impressed by the no nonsense and results oriented approach by SAC Attorneys LLP attorneys. A job well done! X. Gao
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They Took Time to Understand Our Technology. I am the founder of a bioinformatics start-up in the Silicon Valley and chose SAC Attorneys LLP as our corporate counsels. Their attorneys have great experience with high tech start-ups and were able to offer a highly competitive service plan while not sacrificing a bit of their quality of services. They took time to understand our technology and provided value added services by introducing investors and job candidates to us. We regard our attorneys at SAC Attorneys LLP not only as our legal advisors but also our venture partners. Dr. Pete S.