How I **TRY** to Protect My Business from Copyright Infringement, Plagiarism, & Intellectual Property Theft

One unfortunate reality of living and working in the digital age is that it opens wide the opportunity for people to engage in intellectual theft. The National Crime Prevention Council has reported that more than 45% of all U.S. businesses have suffered losses due to intellectual property theft. 

Almost half! 😖

All a person needs to do is visit a website and download or copy some content—whether it’s an artistic creation, written subject matter, or a saleable product.

Often, the creator or business owner is unaware this has even occurred, while the thief benefits by presenting the content as their own without putting in the actual effort or actually owning the content. 

In the two months prior to the writing of this blog, we at Dakota Design Company have identified SIX separate instances where designers have used our intellectual property without permission. These instances included people selling our materials, using our copyrighted content in their competing services, or providing our templates as bonuses inside of their paid programs.

SIX cases. In two months. 

I’m sharing this with you, my DDC community, because I know you care about the integrity and ethical standards of our industry. I’m also sharing because we’ve had to devote significant time and resources to managing these situations, from collecting evidence, engaging legal services, and creating processes to further protect our IP.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.