Australia is considered to be the world leader when it comes to creating and exploiting new and exciting technologies in the mining industry. With the amazing opportunity to be able to utilise Australian R&D and new tech throughout the world, have you actually considered whether you have adequately protected your highly prized intellectual property?
Answer a few of these simple questions:
- Can you put your hand over your heart and swear that you actually own the intellectual property in your technology?
- If a competitor took the technology that you have poured your blood sweat and tears over in Australia and began using the same technology overseas, have you got enough protection to stop them in their tracks?
- Do you know how to stop someone from using the name or brand of your technology?
- For mining software, can you guarantee that your software does not use software of another person (i.e. open source), and if it does use open source, are you sure that your use of the software is compliant with the relevant open source licence?
If you answered no to any of the above questions, it might be time to revisit your intellectual property protection strategy to ensure that you have adequate protection for your crown jewels.
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