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The concept of intellectual property can be very hard to thoroughly understand, especially in the U.S. Copyright and patent laws are in a constant state of flux as thieves make advancements in the techniques they use to infringe on your intellectual property rights.

It is extremely important to seek the guidance of a trusted, experienced intellectual property lawyer to keep up on these news laws and know your rights as an owner. Here are three quick things about intellectual property to keep in mind when you’re considering legal advice:

Intellectual property theft is on the rise. The idea of a copyright is to appropriately compensate creative workers for use of their intellectual property. Unfortunately, ideas are the easiest thing on the planet to steal, and you need to have legal proof of ownership over everything you create to thwart potential criminals. The popularity of the internet has made it even more difficult to secure your intellectual property rights. In 2010 alone, the United States International Trade Commission notes cases of intellectual property theft rose by a whopping 80.6%.

The people attacking your intellectual property may not be strangers. One of the scariest parts of intellectual property theft is that it isn’t always shadowy figures on the internet who steal. In fact, trusted business partners account for about 17% of intellectual property attackers, with disgruntled former employees accounting for 21%. Making sure you’re protected from “insider theft” is a crucial part of intellectual property services.

The U.S. economy depends on intellectual property. Finding ways to protect intellectual property is especially important to America because of our dependence on it. Intellectual property accounts for more than half of our country’s exports, helping drive about 40% of our economic growth. The ideas American citizen breed influence the world, and it’s important that the creators of these ideas are recognized and paid for their work.

Make sure to do extensive research on your intellectual property rights and speak with a patent attorney who is well-versed in intellectual property law. The nation depends on these creative minds and you deserve to be properly compensated for your work.