It is absolutely wild how many course creators have had their content stolen (and even re-sold as an MRR course) in the past year alone, and I beg you to please don’t let your course be next.  And I mean that in the nicest way possible; you need to know how to protect your course from copycats before it’s too late and all your hard work is generating profits for someone else. 

I’ll let you in on a secret too — the best way to protect your course from copycats is keeping it a secret until you have all the legal stuff on lock (that’s what I’m here for).

3 Things You Need to Protect Your Course

When it comes to protecting your course, be proactive, not reactive. Take the steps before launching your course to protect it, and if you’ve already launched, you’ll want to start protecting it NOW (because if you’re here, you’ve likely already found yourself in a copycat situation — or close to it).

Let’s get into it:

#1. Trademark

If it’s not trademarked, you don’t own it. Trademark your course name before you start marketing it because if it’s a good one, someone is going to snatch it right up. And, after launch, if a copycat tries to use your course name (or similar) and profits from it, you can disgorge their profits (which is why it literally PAYS to have a trademark).

Trademarking also protects YOU from legal recourse by preventing you from infringing on someone else’s trademark.

#2. Copyright

Technically, copyright is automatic. Anytime you create content, it’s copyrighted. But copyright registration is NOT automatic. And if you want to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work, you have to have a registered copyright.

Again, you should do this before you launch BUT you can absolutely do this after your course is published — the process will just look a little different.

#3. Keep it Secret 

Keep it like your life depends on it — because it kind of does (at least, the life of your business). Don’t even tell your business bestie; you never know when something might accidentally slip and who might hear it. 

Once you’ve done steps #1 and #2, then you can start shouting it from the rooftops. But, speaking from my experience as a lawyer who specializes in protecting your IP, it’s always the person — or place — you least expect.

Defending Your Course: What to do When Copycats Attack

Even with all the best protections in place, copycats will absolutely have the audacity to steal your shit (it’s not a matter of it, it’s a matter of when). And thanks to steps #1 and #2, you have a literal federal bodyguard who’s got your back — but it is up to you to take action.

Here’s what you’re going to do:

• Screenshot and save all the proof. You want everything available to prove that they did, in fact, steal your IP and avoid the possibility of them deleting everything once they notice that you’re very much aware (and very pissed) at their existence.
• Send a cease and desist. Essentially, you’re telling them to stop right there, quit what you’re doing, and don’t do it again — or else. Use these copycat scripts if you don’t know what to say. You can also just skip to the next step.
• Hire a lawyer. Sometimes they just don’t get the message and keep profiting off your content (ew) and you have to hire a lawyer. The good news is that we’re prepared to be the cut-throat legal defense you need to get back the money earned from YOUR property.

Ready to protect your course and defend your intellectual property? Book a legal strategy call to find out how best to protect your content!