About 50 healthcare financial and market managers from the United Kingdom and the United States compared notes on the managed care markets in both countries during the 16th Annual Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) conference held in Charlotte, N.C., last month. Participants discussed a problem unique to the U.S.-- how uninsured individuals receive care when market forces prevent providers from subsidizing the care. (HFMA, 800/252-4362) How To Protect Your Trademark × Trademarks can be words, symbols, logos, designs or slogans that identify your services are coming from a common source. Famous examples of trademarks include Apple [AAPL] computers, the McDonald's golden arches, Lexus automobiles and the Nike [NKE] swoosh slogan.
One of the best ways to protect your trademark is to register it with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (800-786-9199). The application process, including legal fees, can range from $750 for a simple registration to the tens of thousands for one that runs into opposition. If a trademark is important to your hospital, however, registration is a must.
But just as you try to protect your marks by confronting infringers, you must be aware of the potential liability of infringing upon the rights of another, said Al Fressola, a Connecticut-based trademark attorney. The best way to avoid infringement claims is to perform searches before introducing new intellectual property to verify that no one else has prior rights to what you thought was your product, name or logo. Various databases and firms are able to conduct searches for a fee.
Before using another party's trademark, you also must determine whether or not it is necessary to obtain permission. If so, obtain that permission in writing and follow its terms.
In the event that an intellectual property claim is made against your company, insurance coverage may be available. Policyholders may be entitled to coverage for a number of offenses, including: copyright violation, trademark infringement and patent infringement. This coverage includes payment of the attorney's fees and judgments or settlements paid in such actions.