Patents, copyrights and trademarks- the association of brand names and products is vital for recognition. Nike and the 'swoosh', photocopiers and 'Xerox', Jeans and 'Levis'- the association is almost seamless.

The value-add that a brand name brings along is immense and financial experts evaluate it one of the main reasons for a company's financial success. In recent times there has been a sharp rise in the number of trademark registrations and the Internet boom that has contributed much to this.

A brand name should be researched well before it registered. It should be catchy and have a brand recall that is high. Most people rely on the brand name for the sake of quality, so make sure your brand is not duplicated. Entrepreneurs should be vigilant to spot any trademark duplications in the market as it may reduce the credibility and quality of their products.

After securing the trademark you need to patent the idea behind the product. Duplications are rife and if the necessary precautions are not taken, you may lose out on a lot of income. Most entrepreneurs spend a lot of money in R&D efforts and the only way they can stand to gain from it is by patenting the product. This prevents any imitations using the same technology or ideas. Patents also help the entrepreneur in fund raising efforts. He can approach banks for loans to kick-start his business.

Copyrights are equally essential especially to publication houses, writers and content on web sites. Designs and motifs also need a copyright to avoid duplication. The importance of copyrights should be communicated to all employees, and repercussions of copyright infringement should be explained. Employees should be aware of the fact that not even a single sentence can be copied in its original form from any copyrighted source.

With brand-awareness having caught-on, the need for successfully patenting a product and securing a trademark or brand name becomes imperative, so carve a niche for yourself through successful trade'marksmanship'.