“Act against people who seek to steal your trademark.”

This was the key message delivered by attorney-at-law Ronald Young, who was a guest speaker at the Flow Business online webinar where he was addressing a number of entrepreneurs. Young shared 10 important tips that can guard against infringers who seek to steal ideas online, but he stressed the importance of registering ideas.

“Register your trademark with JIPO (Jamaica Intellectual Property Office) because it gives you protection against persons who are trying to steal your trademark. Because many businesses will be online, you also have to think about protecting your trademark internationally,” he explained.

He also highlighted other important factors including “creating a distinct brand, applying for letters of patent, crafting protective contracts, adding IP symbols to your work, marketing effectively and monitoring infringements,” as best as possible.

But his message of protecting against infringement was centre place in his address. As a small business owner, there are many important ways aside from your trademark, to protect your ideas online. Some of these include registration of copyright, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and adding watermarks.

“You don’t have to register your creation to own it but registering your copyright acts as an additional means of protection in the courts if you decide to take action against someone who may try to steal your idea at a later date,” he added.

Small business owners are at great risk because more entrepreneurs are taking their business online but are not mindful of the infringers. Young also mentioned other ways of protection and invited businesses to “insist on signing non-disclosure agreements,” since, as businesses grow, they tend to meet with investors with whom they will share their ideas, and “it is important to have them sign an NDA to prevent them from sharing your idea without your permission,” he said.

Watermarking is also particularly important because, in this digital age, persons can edit pictures without giving credit to the person who creates the idea. A watermark is difficult to edit from a photo and it acts as an additional layer of protection.

An online poll indicated that 20 per cent of attendees did not know the process for registering their business ideas online, while 57 per cent answered that they had not registered and 23 per cent answered ‘yes’ to having completed registration.

Dwayne Walters, head of SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) & Partner Channels for Flow Business Jamaica, commented on the poll results expressing that this is the reason that Flow Business hosts these webinars.

“We pride ourselves on offering the best support to small and medium-sized businesses.  We understand the challenges that they face and so, through these webinars, we are empowering small businesses to make their transition online by helping them to grow and unlock their highest potential,” said Walters.

Flow Business was launched in February 2021 to offer support to SMEs by providing leading ICT solutions, fast internet speeds, smart solutions, 24/7 support and marketing expertise. The company is committed to guiding business owners on their journey to new growth and success.