Atlanta, Asheville Web Site Design - Jaymunda Blog

Here at Jaymunda Web Design in Asheville, NC we are dedicated to supporting women in business throughout Western North Carolina, Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville, South Carolina, Atlanta and beyond.  This isn’t just because there are many women that possess strong leadership skills, education and talent.  It is also because Jaymunda would not be what it is today without the many women who have contributed their creative ideas, hard work and intellect to the growth of this company.  In the very beginning, as a small group of website designers and graphics designers in Asheville, the women in management, sales and design have been part of the backbone of Jaymunda. We know that as we move forward into the future the trend of women entrepreneurs and business owners will grow.

Women-Owned Businesses: It is not just a trend in Asheville, NC

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of women-owned businesses increased 20% between 1997 and 2002.  In 2002 this was twice the national average of businesses in general. In 2002 almost 30% of non-farm businesses in the US were owned by women.  14% of these businesses employed over 7.1 million people.   The Center for Women’s Business Research reports that businesses owned by women of color are growing at 6 times the rate of businesses in general.  Between 1997 and 2004 the number of privately-held companies and firms that were 51% or more owned by women of color grew by 54.6%.  Privately-held firms in the U.S. in general grew by only 9%.  It isn’t hard to see that women are making professional waves that affect all industries in every part of the country.

Women, Technology, the Internet and Web Site Design

In 2007 there are more women using technology and working in the tech industry than ever before.  Kathy Ireland, former model and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide recently said, “I feel I’m able to serve my customer by knowing what she or he wants. One of the ways I’m able to do this is through my website, and email: people give me great ideas, tell me what they want, what they don’t want. It’s really instrumental, and helps me stay in touch with people.” As a premier web design company in Asheville Jaymunda believes it is important to be open and supportive of all the entrepreneurs and professionals in our community, including women.  You never know when the person sitting in front of you is going to be the next Martha Stewart, Mary Kate and Ashley, Oprah Winfrey or Barbara Walters.   Women in business are every shape, size, color and age.  In the future they will not only continue to affect the business world in general, but they will also move into tech fields and have even more understanding on online technology and web site development and design. After many years of supporting women and helping them achieve professional success, Jaymunda welcomes this trend with great anticipation!

Intellectual property can seem abstract, but in the modern world of technology, communication and information intellectual property is a legal and necessary designation. Legally, intellectual property refers to various legal entitlements attached to particular names, inventions and written or recorded media. Businesses or professionals who hold these legal entitlements have exclusive rights to the subject matter of the intellectual property. The subject matter referred to is a product of the mind or the intellect, essentially intellectual property means you are protecting your ideas, creative inspiration and the materials that have been created because of them.

Your Ideas Should Be Yours: Laws and Enforcement for Intellectual Property

Intellectual property laws and enforcement change dramatically between jurisdictions. Governments have attempted to create treaties, such as the 1994 World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights that will hopefully lead to a more cohesive worldwide system. There are also treaties that allow registration of intellectual property in more than one jurisdiction. There are two basic scenarios to be aware of when it comes to intellectual property:

1. A person or company creates a work with their own materials, equipment and resources. The copyright is assigned to them by default. The company or person owns and controls the work unless they assign the copyright to someone else and that must be done in writing.

2. An employee creates a work as a part of the scope of his or her employment. They have used someone else’s resources or equipment. This situation requires that a written agreement clearly state that the employee has no ownership right to the work prior to work being performed.

A great example of intellectual property is one that is common throughout the United States. When you purchase a copy of Microsoft XP software, you don’t actually own it. To own it would cost billions of dollars. Users simply purchase a license for the software, which makes it legal.

Why Does a Web Designer Need to Understand Intellectual Property?

As an Internet marketing, web design and web site development firm, Jaymunda stresses the importance of intellectual property. We do this because as we build Internet and digital technologies for our clients it is crucial that we understand who owns the work we have created. When we create a graphic design for you, you own the product and it is yours to keep. Any additional custom work done for you also becomes your property when complete. The only intellectual property we maintain control of is our own proprietary framework, which is our own original creation. Like Microsoft, we have to protect our framework when we are giving it to our clients, so that it cannot be sold to others. As we continue forward into the age of information, communication and technology it is important that our original ideas and creations are protected. This will insure success for all of us when we know we can share what our minds and intellect produce without fear of having it copied or stolen.