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62 Your Idea, Inc.

are no general databases of previously copyrighted materials, the
application process is very straightforward.

M onitoring Your Trademark Righ ts

Once you receive a trademark you will no doubt receive a solicita­
tion from one or more trademark monitoring services (also called
trademark watching services). For a fee, these companies will mon­
itor trademark filings made in the United States and around the
world, and alert you to any similar filings.

The oldest and best-known monitoring service is called Thom­

son Compumark. (http://compumark.thomson.comldolpidl107). Speak

with your IP lawyer about whether a monitoring service is right for
you and your budget. It is a great way to nip possible infringement
disputes in the bud, since you will be able to confront the potential
infringer in most cases before they can impact your product.

Whether or not you use a monitoring service, it's important
to keep your eyes and ears open for any infringements of your IP
rights . If you see something questionable in a store or are told about
a confusingly similar product to yours (a friend says "I saw your
product in Macy's," but your product is not sold there), investigate
promptly and contact your IP attorney, who will help you formulate
the best strategy for dealing with it.

There are also patent monitoring services that will alert you to
new patent filings related to your patent or industry. Such a service
is useful in keeping abreast of what your competition is doing and
may also provide you with new licensing opportunities based on

new filings. One such company providing this service is IPX (www
. ipxonline. com).

M oving For ward

Now that you've learned what your product needs, it's time to meet
with your IP attorney. Because IP attorneys charge on an hourly
basis, be prepared for your initial meeting.