Naming the right at stake
Letters often mix several theories at once, such as trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret, and breach of contract. Each has its own rules about ownership, proof, and remedies, and some claimed rights turn out to be weaker or narrower than the letter suggests. A registration helps in many cases but does not settle every question, and an unregistered right can still be real. Working out which right is asserted, and who actually owns it, shapes everything that follows. Many disputes labeled as IP are really about a contract, such as a license, a development deal, or an employment agreement.
Handling the first exchange
Ignoring a demand can leave the other side free to escalate, while a hasty reply can concede facts that matter later. Hold off on telling customers or posting publicly about the dispute until you have advice. Preserve design files, communications, sales records, and anything showing when your work was created or first used. Check whether an insurance policy or a supplier contract might respond. If you are the one sending a letter, its wording deserves care, because some letters give the recipient grounds to file a court case of its own first. If the other side contacts your customers or a platform, keep copies of what it said, since those statements can matter on their own.
Mapping the options
We weigh the strength of each side's position, what the dispute is worth commercially, and what a resolution could look like, from a license or a coexistence arrangement to a change of name or design to formal proceedings. Bring the letter or the evidence of the other side's use, your registrations, and any agreements touching the work. We talk candidly about the cost of each path and which decisions need to be made soon. Often the most useful result of an early meeting is a short list of facts to confirm before anyone responds.
