Copyright pirates, brand impersonators, patent flouters and trade secret thieves are a major threat to businesses, given their increased aggressiveness towards intellectual property theft. These, and any other original creative works that have economic value and are protected by law, can be categorized as intellectual property (IP). This document outlines core risks related to IP infringement.

Questions to consider include: Is the intellectual asset protected? What is the form of protection? What are the company’s intellectual assets? Were all necessary filings made (e.g., state, federal, foreign)? Were the registrations correctly executed?