How do you set up a business in Florida – Part 9: Trademarks are not your only protection
While trademarks and service marks are one method by which a business can add value to and protect its brand, non-compete agreements, non-solicitation agreements, and non-disclosures are also mechanisms by which a business can place itself in a position to more easily enforce its rights and protect itself. However, there are certain legal restrictions that apply to some of those documents leading one to the recommendation of “don’t try this at home”. Business owners that elect to create their own contracts or download these documents from an unknown source and opt not to invest in expert business law advice, such as that from Florida Bar Board Certified business litigation lawyer David Steinfeld of the Law Office of David Steinfeld, usually create a bigger and more expensive problem for the business later.
A business that relies on its self-created documents can, for years, believe that it is protected by such defective documents only to find out when it tries to enforce them that the business is unprotected, has exposed its proprietary and confidential business information, and created its own competition that can damage or destroy the business. After spending years and significant sums to grow a business, one of the worst imaginable issues that the owner or owners can face is learning that they are helpless to fight off an attack from a former employee or new competitor who has absconded with what the business owner thought was protected proprietary business information.
Thus, sophisticated business owners invest the time and money to consult with Florida law business experts like David Steinfeld to understand the options available to them and to be able to make informed decisions on those points, which avoids more costly future disputes ever time.