For those who are involved in the process of developing and applying your ideas, make sure you get binding nondisclosure and noncircumvention agreements, or NDAs. It doesn't always protect your information, but it does ensure that the people you work with clearly understand that the information you are providing them is confidential. Such a contract will also hold more ground in court. Create clear stipulations on who can see your information and what can be done with it.

Make sure your NDA covers all your valuable IP. Ensure employees or anyone coming into close contact with all or parts of your information sign the NDA. Keep contracts on file and assure all contracts are accounted for before sharing information. Further (and arguable more important) is the clear definition that all intellectual property developed by the employee on the job belongs to the employer.

5. File for proper patents early on.

It is not good for companies to wait too long before filing for the proper protection for inventions. Don't wait until the invention is completed, or the idea is in the final development stages. When you've come up with an idea, talk to your intellectual property lawyer about how to best protect the uses of your idea, and when to consider applying for protection, as well as what type of protection to seek. Creating documentation early on during the process can save a lot of time.

IP protection can be applied for and you can still work 'under the radar' on projects to ensure the sanctity of your inventions. This falls back under only keeping key people informed about your projects. File early and get your IP secured sooner.

6. Keep your eyes on your own paper, please.

Protect yourself further by avoiding using other people's intellectual property. Give the same respect you would want to have for your own IP. Borrowing someone else's IP for your own devices is hard to hide. If you get caught, all of your own work may be suspect, if litigation later ensues. Protecting your IP means ensuring people obey the law, and that includes you.

You do your best to restrict movement of intellectual property and to use the highest forms of security, however, security systems aren't perfect. The good news is that steps can be taken to ensure you are compensated should anything happen. Getting an intellectual property lawyer on your side early, and taking the necessary precautions helps to ensure if anything should be taken, you know exactly what it is and have all the documentation in place to take action quickly.

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