How Do IP Investigations Help In Protecting Intellectual Property Rights?

According to research, 31% of businesses have experienced intellectual property theft via cyber-attacks. This is a clear warning sign for businesses to take proactive steps to conduct IP investigations to protect themselves from malicious theft attempts.

Surprisingly, IP threats don't only come from outside, such as from competitors or counterfeiters, but insiders can also impose a considerable threat to your property. Therefore, a thorough investigation to identify internal and external risks is crucial.

Let’s explore how IP investigations are conducted and what benefits they bring to your business. 

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property refers to intangible assets owned by individuals, businesses, or entities. Compared to other types of properties, IP is often more expensive, easy to steal, and distributed among the masses. These are also known as creations of the mind, such as:



●      Designs

●      Symbols

●      Names

●      Images

●      Inventions

●      Literary or artistic work 

What are Intellectual Property Rights? 

Intellectual property rights include various types of legal rights that protect the assets of intellects or minds. These rights provide the owner more control over their property, enabling them to decide how to reproduce or distribute their work further. 

Types of Intellectual Property Rights

Here are a few types of IP rights that cater to different kinds of intellectual assets:

1. Copyrights: This covers literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic and audio-visual work.
2. Trademarks: It caters to brand names, logos, symbols, slogans or other specific words.
3. Trade Secrets: It protects secret recipes, manufacturing processes, marketing strategies etc.
4. Patents: This safeguards the rights of someone's new, useful and unobvious invention.

What are the Benefits of IP Rights Protection?

IP rights protection ensures multiple benefits; of which a few are mentioned below:

• Peace of Mind: IP rights protection's first and foremost benefit is a sense of security that allows individuals and business owners to continue their efforts and business operations without any fears of theft and infringements.

• Quality Assurance: IP rights ensure that consumers are safe from inferior, low-quality and pirated goods or services. It makes sure the end products they receive are authentic and associated with recognised trademarks and brands.

• Competitive Edge: No doubt the market is brimming with competition, but having IP rights protection such as a recognised invention, protected manufacturing techniques, or secured source code gives you a competitive edge. Remember, protected assets are more considered than others.

• Investor’s Trust: IP protection serves as a seal of trust for investors, making them more interested and satisfied to invest in your business.

• Income Generation: Once you have your IP protected, you can control it better and even license it to others in order to generate handsome revenue from it. Licensing is just one way; you can opt for franchising or partnerships to diversify your revenue stream while protecting and elevating your brand reputation.

Why is IP Investigation Important for Your Business?

The need for an IP investigation often goes neglected until you estimate all the effort, time, money, and other resources that went into the development of your intellectual property.

Your IP, whether it falls into the category of trademark, copyright, trade secret, or patent, possesses a significant value potential and innovative identity, making it vulnerable to several infringements, thefts, and other violations.

Therefore, it is crucial to have IP experts and cybersecurity professionals who will help you detect, identify, and combat such infringements before they become serious legal issues.

Remember, if such a matter goes to court, it costs way more than you would invest in IP experts in the first place. That's why it is essential for you to take a proactive approach to IP investigations for your business.

How is IP Investigation Conducted to Protect IP Rights? 

Various techniques are used to conduct IP investigations depending on the nature of intellectual property, potential infringement risks and end goal of investigations.

1. IP Due Diligence and Risk Assessment

IP due diligence and risk assessment involve evaluating your organisation as well as third parties such as suppliers and business partners' security practices and procedures. The partner and vendor assessment often includes the examination of contracts, agreements, and other crucial documentation to rule out any loopholes that could cause IP threats in the future.

Moreover, these assessments help pinpoint possible weaknesses in data security protocols and employee training. By doing so, these vulnerabilities can be overcome before they end up causing a severe threat to IP security.

Lastly, with risk assessment, you can also be notified whether, by any means, you are infringing on others' IP rights.

2. Infringement Detection

In order to detect IP infringement, IP investigators must have access to advanced techniques such as crowdsourcing, advanced statistical modelling and detailed sampling methodologies. Using these approaches, the investigators may provide businesses with an accurate assessment report regarding infringements.

The advanced statistical modelling analyses the vast data gathered from several market tests. Other than that, crowdsourcing methods also help collect data from diverse sources such as consumers, industry experts and other stakeholders. The collected information helps them understand the extent of infringement activities better.

This assessment serves as the foundation of further targeted investigation and remediation strategies.

3. Infringement Channel Mapping

Infringement channel mapping is essential to understand how the infringement happened in the first place. With channel mapping, you can respond effectively to the current infringement incident as well as be more proactive towards future occurrences.

4. Reporting and Expert Advice

Once a thorough IP investigation is conducted, the final step is to prepare a comprehensive report, including expert advice. This report not only provides an overview of the threats, vulnerabilities, and damages but also guides you on the most effective ways to protect your IP rights effectively.

Safeguard Your IP Rights with Cyberlutions®!

Secure IP means safer business operations. Whether you suspect an IP theft or you are well aware of a violation, you can reach out to Cyberlutions® for your diverse IP rights protection needs. With over 40 years of experience in the cybersecurity field, our expert IP investigators ensure thorough protection of your assets.



From machine learning to cutting-edge digital forensic tools, we use advanced techniques to detect, evaluate, and combat numerous IP threats and infringements. Get in touch with us today and Book a Free Consultation to discuss how we can help you with a customised IP investigation.

 Sources:

• https://www.kroll.com/en/services/forensic-investigations-and-intelligence/information-and-ip-risk/ip-investigations
• https://www.legalline.ca/legal-answers/intellectual-property-investigations/
• https://www.sonderandclay.com/ip-advice/the-importance-of-intellectual-property-protection/
• https://www.currentware.com/blog/how-to-protect-intellectual-property/
• https://www.infosecinstitute.com/resources/digital-forensics/intellectual-property-investigations/
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/protection-intellectual-property-need-ip-rights-investigation/