Publishing your creative genius on the internet can lead to a wealth of problems not commonly found in the 'real world'. In the days before the proliferation of the world wide web, crafters and designers were lulled into a false sense of security by the lack of 'corporate espionage'. After all, we're a community, right?

Wrong.

Your ideas are your 'wealth' and if you do not take the proper steps to protect that wealth, you will be left feeling hopeless and wondering where you went wrong as you watch your competitors profit off of your hard work. Before you begin to sell your wares on the 'net, there are basic concepts of intellectual property that you should be familiar with and use to your advantage.

I recently spoke with business owners about this very topic and found a common statement in all their stories; it goes something like this:

"I was preparing to contribute to a sample program and shared the ideas for my sample products. A person in an online community I belong to made exactly the same item- including my exact wording and materials- and sent it to the program before I could."

Don't let this happen to you.

Intellectual property can take the form of articles, ideas for a new business or even products you've developed and are selling via your website. The ways you legally protect your intellectual property vary based on the type of property you are seeking to safeguard. Having a working knowledge of these methods will not only assist you in your own business, but will also assure that you do not infringe upon the rights of others.

One of the most common mistakes made by individuals is that they believe that any work without a copyright notice is free for the taking. While the correct form of copyright notice is "Copyright or