Intellectual Property Audits   Intranet/Internet Audits Our Intranet/Internet audit involves a comprehensive study of your company's web site. There are several objectives for this study. We scrutinize your web site to help you comply with various regulations that may affect your site, including privacy law compliance, technology export regulation compliance, anti-boycott regulations, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance. The study also confirms that the necessary copyright and trademark use permissions have been obtained from third parties. In addition, we review your web site to identify protectable intellectual property assets that exist or may arise from the site, including copyright, trade secret, patent, trademark and trade dress assets and we also look at your site for proper trademark usage.   Trade Secret Audits Our trade secret audit services involve an on-site review of your company's business and business practices, with a particular eye toward identifying all potential trade secret assets arising from your business. We also review your company procedures and practices to confirm that reasonable procedures are being followed and measures have been taken to keep your company's confidences secret. The goal of this audit is to place you in the best possible posture for enforcing your rights against any former employee, competitor, or other third party who misappropriates your confidential information.   Copyright Audits Our copyright audit services seek to identify all creative expression that is generated by your business and all third-party copyright assets upon which you rely. We will work with you to make sure you have adequate permissions and licenses in place for the copyrighted works you use. In addition, we will inventory and identify the potential copyright assets that your business is generating and suggest the best ways to formalize and then exploit those assets.   Trademark Audits Our trademark audit services involve a review of your company's marketing materials, advertisements, web site, product packaging and retail presence to confirm that your trademarks are being used properly and that proper trademark or service mark notices are in place. In addition, we identify any trade dress rights that may exist or that might be created in your packaging, product configurations, décor, or look and feel. Once these existing and potential assets are identified, we work with you to assess the sufficiency of your company's domestic and international registration portfolio. We also work to streamline your new trademark screening and clearance procedure to reduce your costs and turnaround time in the screening process.   Patent Audits Our patent audit services are often combined with our trade secret audit. One goal of this service is to assure that your company has appropriate technology ownership agreements with the employees and contractors who are involved in research and development, software and web site design, and other inventive activities. A second goal is to see that proper steps and procedures are in place to assure that appropriate documentation is being made of inventions to assure confidentiality. In addition, we work with you to formalize the process your company uses to evaluate and file in a timely manner any foreign or U.S. patents.   To get started with your intellectual property audit, call us at (281) 486-7700.