When Should a Polygraph be Used?

Polygraph testing is used by many companies. Understanding where and when to use polygraphs is a must for any business looking for answers.

People lie all the time, and as law enforcement officials have known for a long time, when people lie, they often show it in some way. When being dishonest, some people avoid eye contact, others fidget, and others break into a sweat. Polygraph tests take this basic concept and create a measurable way of recording people’s reactions to questions. A polygraph tests respiration, blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductivity while the subject is being asked specific questions. By comparing the body’s response to specific questions, polygraph examiners can verify the truthfulness of what a subject is saying.

Cases in which to use polygraph testing

There are a number of cases when polygraph testing is used:

• For criminal and civil cases. In some cases related to civil lawsuits or criminal trials, hard evidence is not always available – or not always enough. Polygraph testing is sometimes used to bolster evidence or to determine the trustworthiness of a witness. In many states, polygraph examiners are allowed to testify in criminal and civil cases. Police often use the polygraph in investigations across the country, but by law no one can be forced to take the test. By law, refusal to take the test cannot affect a case’s outcome.

• For pre-employment screening. Government agencies hiring employees for sensitive jobs will often use polygraph screening to select candidates.

• For issues related to homeland security. The Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency, and other federal bodies charged with the nation’s security routinely use polygraphs to uncover crimes and threats against the nation.

• For commercial theft investigations. Businesses concerned about fraud and employee theft may be able to turn to the polygraph to gauge employee honesty and loyalty to the company.

• For the monitoring of sex offenders. In many states, it is now compulsory for sex offenders to undergo polygraph testing before being considered for parole or probation. In some cases, testing is also used to monitor sex offenders. Since these offenders can often re-offend without anyone learning about it for some time, polygraph testing is seen as one way to determine whether a criminal has been rehabilitated or not.

• By banks. Since bank employees often are responsible for or have access to large amounts of money and other valuables, polygraph testing is used by some to determine employee honesty and in order to run internal investigations.

Many people use polygraph testing: law enforcement agencies, the government, public defenders, attorneys, U.S. and district attorneys offices, parole and probation departments, and companies authorized under the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 (EPPA).

A free polygraph test resource for businesses

Companies wanting to use polygraph testing themselves need to proceed with extreme caution. While the test is legal, it is highly controversial and must be done completely legally. If not done correctly, a polygraph test can cost a business a great deal in legal costs and in lost reputation. To find an investigative professional who can go beyond the results of a polygraph and to find investigators experienced as polygraph examiners, businesses need look no further than the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators. The PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators lets businesses look for polygraph experts in their area and even offers free polygraph resources and useful information.

Pahoa Hawaii Investigator

The PInow.com team would like to welcome their newest investigator in Hawaii.

Aloha Investigations primarily serves the islands of Oahu and Hawaii (The Big Island). We are able to conduct investigations on other outer islands (Kauai, Maui, Lanai, Molokai).

Visit their PInow.com profile page for more info: Aloha Investigations

Saint Paul Minnesota Private Investigator

The PInow.com team would like to welcome their newest investigator in Minnesota.

Collins Investigations LLC provides investigative services through St Paul, MN.

For more information please see the PInow Profile Page for: Collins Investigations LLC

Wrongful Death Investigators Help Get Fairer Settlements

Wrongful death lawsuits are very common. These lawsuits need to be filed within a specific timeframe in order to be successful. Time and evidence are essential in cases such as these, and a private investigator can be the best investment a plaintiff can make.

A wrongful death lawsuit usually occurs when a person causes a death through negligence. In some cases, the lawsuit arises when someone can be held liable for a death – whether or not it can be proven that negligence resulted in the death. Only specific people can file this sort of lawsuit. In almost all cases, only specific beneficiaries – usually a surviving spouse or child who was dependent on the deceased – can file a claim. In most states, wrongful death lawsuits are meant to help people recover the money that a deceased person would have earned if not for their death. These civil cases, therefore, are often about settlements, and the amount of money involved in these cases is quite large.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, almost 65% of wrongful death cases are medical malpractice cases. Automobile cases account for about 16% of wrongful death suits, with premises liability and product liability also accounting for some portion of wrongful death suits. Most wrongful death claims in court take place by jury trial.

In most cases, plaintiffs seek damages in wrongful death suits to cover loss and suffering, lost income, medical bills, and other costs or money losses associated with a death. In most states, wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within a specific time of the death that has occurred. With a limited time frame, there are lots of reasons why taking the time to hire a professional investigator is one of the smartest things that a plaintiff can do:

• An investigator can tell you whether there is enough evidence to launch your lawsuit before you invest all the time and money needed to file a wrongful death case in the first place.

• To build a solid lawsuit, plaintiffs need a number of things. They need to be eligible to bring launch a wrongful death suit, they need to have enough evidence to prove that the defendant caused the death; they need a good strategy to settle the case. Of these needs, evidence is essential. Without evidence, it will be hard to show that the defendant caused the death. The evidence, moreover, needs to be very solid. The defendant will try very hard to prove that he or she did not cause the death and they only need to introduce reasonable doubt to ensure that the plaintiff gets no settlement. Hiring a private investigator is one way to ensure that the evidence for a fair settlement is present in the courtroom.

• An investigator can even out the power imbalance that can occur in these cases. In many wrongful death lawsuits, the plaintiff is facing a company or insurance company in court, and these companies have almost unlimited resources in terms of investigators and money. Unfortunately, the power inequity can get in the way of justice. Hiring a private investigator, on the other hand, can give the plaintiff access to evidence that can secure a fair settlement.

• In many cases, wrongful death lawsuits involve settlements that approach or exceed a million dollars. This is a lot of money – money that can be used to help the plaintiff build a new life. An investigator can help uncover the evidence needed to ensure that the plaintiff gets the best settlement – and the best future -- possible.

• Some plaintiffs choose to represent themselves in court in order to gain more control over the case. In these instances, there may be no attorney or law firm available to gather medical evidence, police reports, background information about the parties involved, witness testimony, physical evidence, expert evidence, and other evidence needed for the lawsuit. In these instances, a professional investigator is the best way to gather this information.

• Wrongful death lawsuits are often only the beginning. Even when plaintiffs are rewarded large settlements, collecting the money can be difficult. A professional investigator with judgement recovery experience can help ensure that a plaintiff is not only awarded a settlement – but also that the plaintiff actually gets the settlement they need to rebuild their life.

Plaintiffs facing a wrongful death suit or considering a wrongful death case have no time to lose. That’s why turning to the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators is such a good idea. The PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators lets anyone find local, experienced investigators that can help immediately. Plus, the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators even has free wrongful death resources that can help a plaintiff make sense of their case.

About PInow.com
PInow.com (http://www.pinow.com/) is a Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators that enables law firms, corporations and the general public to find investigators anywhere. PInow.com strives to be the most trusted resource on the web to locate qualified investigators. All investigators listed on PInow.com are pre-screened and must meet specific listing requirements.

PInow.com was developed by the team that brought you the ServeNow.com Process Servers Directory (http://www.serve-now.com/).

Visit PInow.com to find investigators who can help with all your investigation needs.

Do You Need An Accident Investigator?

After a car accident, there are many situations that can require an accident investigator. Hiring a professional investigator in these instances can ensure justice and a fairer settlement.

In March 2006, a Seattle teenager hired a forensic investigator to prove that a Sheriff's deputy caused a car accident for which she was blamed. While not every car accident victim hires an accident investigator to prove their case, many victims could empathize with the teen. The deputy had a long record of disciplinary problems but the Sheriff’s office refused the teen’s version of events – a version supported by many witnesses – and refused to conduct an internal investigation of the problem.

Unfortunately, car accidents claim more than 40,000 lives in the U.S. each year. In 2003 alone, more than 2.9 million injuries were reportedly caused by car accidents. Even though many states have passed “no fault” laws that try to keep the amount of lengthy lawsuits to a minimum, many car accidents do eventually end up in court. Partly, this stems from the fact that many car accident – up to 90%, according to some statistics – are caused by driver negligence and so are not really “accidents” at all.

Many people see an attorney when they are involved in an accident that leads to loss of life or personal injury, but there are instances when hiring an investigator as well as an attorney makes sense:

1. If evidence from the attorney is unsatisfactory. Most legal professionals and insurance companies hire their own investigators. However, some victims may be unsatisfied with the evidence an attorney’s investigator comes up with. If what the victim knows about an accident differs from the official findings about the accident, hiring an investigator ensures that the victim remains in control of the investigation and gets the answers they need.
2. If the accident is expected to result in a large settlement. If the victim requires a settlement in order to pay for medical expenses, time lost at work, damage, or other expenses that insurance will not cover, hiring an investigator helps ensure that the victim has the evidence in hand in order to get a fair settlement.
3. The accident involves someone in an important position. As with the Seattle teenager, accidents sometimes involve someone who is in power. In these cases, investigations from official sources may be slightly skewed or may be denied entirely in order to protect the important individual. Hiring an investigator helps ensure that politics or money do not affect the victim’s right to justice.
4. The victim is being sued after an accident. In these cases, an investigator may be needed in order to protect the victim’s interests. In these cases, an investigator can offer a degree of protection from inflated interest rates and from frivolous legal action.
5. The accident was caused by neglect. If the victim believes that someone has caused accidents by neglect, a private investigator can gather evidence to prove this. This can help ensure a fairer settlement and can help ensure that the same person does not cause another accident through neglect again.
6. The victim is having trouble collecting insurance for an accident. In cases where it appears that insurance companies are stalling or defrauding the victim of the money that the victim deserves, an investigator can help get the insurance payout.

What an investigator can do

There are many things that an accident investigator cannot do. They cannot turn back the clock and ensure that an accident does not take place. On the other hand, they can ensure that victims have the evidence they need to show what really happened in an accident. An accident investigator can reconstruct the scene of an accident and show exactly what happened, step by step. A private investigator with accident reconstruction experience can also act as an expert witness in court.

The PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators can help accident victims find local investigators with experience. Plus, the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators offers free accident investigation resources that can help victims understand their situation so that they can make the right decisions for them.

Electronic Surveillance -- How is it affecting your Life?

Electronic surveillance in its many forms is everywhere today, potentially creating greater safety for the public and for companies. Knowing how and where to use this type of surveillance can help individuals and companies make the right security decisions.

While plenty of people are aware of the fact that there are video cameras monitoring them inside of stores and banks, few people give much thought to the role that electronic surveillance plays in everyday life. However, there's no doubt that e-surveillance has proliferated in recent years, with the federal government making moves to monitor more correspondence and personal information exchange in the private sector, and more companies seeking added steps to protect against fraud and theft.

In 2003, Enron executives certainly had their lives affected by electronic surveillance. In that year, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission posted e-mail from Enron on its website. Outside surveillance does not always have to be that dramatic, either. Every day, without realizing it, someone may be reading someone else's personal e-mail, listening into a conversation, or reading correspondence meant for someone else's eyes only.

What is e-surveillance?

Electronic surveillance simply means using electronic devices -- such as GPS technology, surveillance cameras, digital cameras, wiretapping devices, computer software, and other tracking technology, to monitor or view someone else or someone else's private communications. With the level of technology available today, virtually every aspect of a person’s life can be monitored. GPS devices can usually tell someone where an individual is and how quickly they are traveling, computer surveillance can tell someone what an individual is writing and viewing online, and video surveillance can reveal what someone is doing at any moment in time. Thanks to live feeds, remote technology, and satellites, this information can be beamed around the world to virtually anyone interested in receiving the information.

How is it used?

While the explosion of electronic surveillance in recent years -- partly thanks to better technology, more discrete technology, and cheaper devices -- has led some to accuse companies and the government of Orwellian-like Big Brother tactics, there is little doubt that this type of remote surveillance is extremely useful. Homeowners can now use an e-surveillance and video devices to monitor their homes, even when they are away. Nanny cams and other video surveillance devices can ensure that children are safe, even when parents are away. Companies, rightly worried about the billions of dollars lost to fraud and theft each year, can easily monitor employees to ensure that employees do their job and remain honest in the workplace.

Using technology responsibly

Now that electronic surveillance devices -- including GPS trackers, video cameras, and computer surveillance programs -- are within the price range of many individuals, though, everyone needs to be aware of the laws surrounding electronic surveillance. While a homeowner may not need special permission to video monitor their home for security purposes, employers need to tread carefully to avoid messy lawsuits involving invasion of privacy. Even homeowners may get themselves into trouble if a security camera inadvertently leads to a termination of the caregiver's job.

With more and more individuals sensitive about the level of privacy that they enjoy in the modern world, anyone who's thinking of using electronic surveillance needs to set up their surveillance system in a completely legal way. That way, if the surveillance does catch illegal activity or a problem, there's less risk of a lawsuit and more probability that the information the surveillance has captured would stand up in court, if needed. Smart homeowners, employers, and individuals are turning to private investigators, who can often offer cost-effective and completely legal surveillance solutions for a number of situations.

Investigative professionals can set up workable, reliable, and personalized surveillance systems that offer exactly what individuals are looking for. Now, anyone can easily find a local, qualified investigator with e-surveillance experience at the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators. Plus, the PInow.com Worldwide Directory of Private Investigators even offers free surveillance resources that can help anyone understand this fascinating industry even more.

15 Ways to Improve your Business in 2007

What can Process Servers and Investigators do to Increase Revenue and Efficiency in the New Year?

A new year is fast approaching once again. For many process serving and investigation companies, business slows down for a few weeks allowing you to take the time to consider what you can do to improve business next year. At ServeNow.com and PInow.com, we talk to hundreds of process servers and investigators on a weekly basis about their advertising and marketing initiatives.

There are endless things you can do to improve and grow your business. But there are some very basic concepts, most of which don't cost anything, that you can apply to benefit your business in 2007.

1. Answer your phone!
At the risk of offending or being redundant, we are going to say it again. Answer your phone. If you have read our marketing articles in the past, you have surely heard this before. Making sure your calls get answered is the easiest and least expensive way of gaining more business. You may have to forward your calls to your cell phone, invest in a more sophisticated phone system or even hire an office assistant, but if calls go unanswered you are missing out on business.

"It's a concept that seems obvious. But when I really started to make a conscious effort to answer every single call that came through, it made a noticeable difference for my investigative agency," said Rebecca Krichevsky, owner of Alliance Background Investigation of Colorado, LLC.

We have heard people say, "I don't answer blocked calls" or "I don't answer calls from out-of-state", but if you are doing ANY form of advertising this thought process is very flawed. These could be calls from potential clients.

2. Expand your Service Offerings
You or one of your employees is at the courthouse on a weekly basis. Are you also providing document filing and retrieval services? You are also a notary public. Could you offer your customers a mobile notary service? You are a private investigator. Are you also providing legal support services such as process serving to your law firm clients?

If you are not offering your customers a full suite of legal support or investigative services, you could be leaving money on the table. What do your clients need that you can offer? If you don't know the answer to this question - ask them. It's possible your clients have needs that you are not aware of which you could monetize by spending little to no additional time.

Below is a list of services that you should consider, if you don't already offer them:

• * process serving
• * private investigations
• * skip tracing
• * document filing and retrieval
• * notary services
• * courier/messenger services
• * bail bonds

3. Understand Marketing Basics
The only difference between you and the most successful companies in your industry is how you market your company. There are a lot of inexperienced and unprofessional companies in the process serving and investigative markets that are highly profitable simply because they understand the benefits of marketing. Marketing is what gets your customer to pick up the phone and literally touches every aspect of your company including:

• * your company's name
• * how you answer the phone
• * your pricing
• * company branding and brochures
• * your web site
• * company correspondence (emails, reports, invoices, letters)

If you have a few extra hours over the holiday season, pick up a book on marketing basics. Even if you have a degree in marketing, keeping a book like this handy will prove to be useful. Additionally, there are numerous e-newsletters and blogs you can find on the web that have great marketing ideas and tips. Spending just a few hours per week on marketing can have a dramatic impact on your business.

4. Advertise when business is good
As long as you are in business, you should always continue to market your services. It doesnt matter how well-known you are, you constantly need to have your brand in front of the buyers of your services. This is why you will see Budweiser, IBM and other Fortune 500 companies investing in multi-million dollar ads during the Super Bowl. A major component of marketing is brand recognition. When your customers see your company advertised on other web sites or trade publications, it helps build trust in your brand and the perception of a successful company. Additionally, continuing to advertise can help you land that dream client that is high volume, high margin and most importantly, low maintenance.

5. Advertise MORE when business in slow
The first thing people tend to cut when business is slow is their sales and marketing. This knee-jerk reaction is often an effort to save money, but can be counterproductive to the success of your business. This is when you should be marketing the most, not only because you need to increase business, but you have the time to reevaluate your marketing and advertising options. Take this time to identify new places where your customers may be going to locate service providers and think about additional marketing initiatives such as mailers, visiting potential clients, growing your referral network and so on.

If you are just starting to market your business, don't get frustrated if your marketing does not work overnight. Statistics show that it can take seven or more exposures to elicit a buying reaction from your potential customers.

6. Get involved in State and National Associations
Supporting national and state associations is critical to your livelihood as a process server or an investigator. Associations help educate you on what is happening in the industry and most importantly, they fight legislative initiatives that can negatively impact the profession. Associations are also a key component of your marketing mix. Inevitably your fellow members are going to refer enough business to your company over time to pay for your dues many times over.

7. Ask Your Customers for a Referral
Sometimes the best form of marketing is word-of-mouth marketing. Chances are that if you do a good job, your customers will refer you to their colleagues without being prompted. However, it does not hurt to ask them for the names and numbers of people who they feel could use your services. Being able to use your clients name when calling these firms dramatically increases the likelihood that you will get business from these referrals. If your client's firm is big enough, they could refer you to multiple people within their office.

8. Contact at least Three New Potential Clients Per Week
No one likes to make cold calls, but sometimes the only way you get business is by asking for it. Set aside just one hour per week to call on at least three new potential clients. Stop by their office when you are in the neighborhood or pick up the phone during down time to talk to a decision maker. Have brochures or printed material you can hand or mail to them. It may take multiple conversations to convert them into paying customers, but over time your persistence will pay off.

9. Improve customer service and communication with customers
One of the most common themes we hear from the buyers of legal support services is that they are not communicated with properly. Too often, they feel they have to check on status. As an investigator or process server you can remedy this by being over-communicative. Whenever service is attempted or there is a new update on a case, pick up the phone and let the customer know what that status is.

When it comes to customer service you should "under-promise" and "over-deliver." Never make promises you may not be able to keep. But when you exceed on your customers expectations you will have a very happy client.

10. Raise your Prices - Compete on Service, not on Price
Would you rather manage 50 serves that make you $10 each, or 10 serves that make you $50 each? On the investigation side, would you rather work 10 hours at $50 per hour or 5 hours at $100 per hour.

If you are not making a good margin on your services, raise your prices and let someone else work their tails off for the high volume low margin services. In an ideal world, you have a handful of customers who consistently send you business and are willing to spend good money for good service.

Sounds great, but how do you achieve this? The answer is to stop competing on price and start competing on service instead. Have better customer service, communicate with your customers more effectively and be available for them. By treating customers how you want to be treated, we have found that many customers -- not all of them -- are willing to pay a premium for excellent service.

11. Delegate Tasks
You can't do everything yourself and continue to operate a growing business. Eventually, you need to bring in help with bookkeeping, collections, data entry and other administrative tasks. Whether you get the help from a part-time employee or a family member, you need to delegate time-consuming tasks to others so you can focus on managing your business and managing your customers. If you already have additional human resources in the office, look at ways in which you increase efficiency by assigning specific tasks to your employees.

12. Use Technology to Improve Efficiency
With software and mobile technology, we now have the ability to run our businesses from our home, hotels and even the road. Smart phones and broadband cards for your laptop are becoming "must-haves" for investigators or process servers that spend a significant amount of time out of the office.

Additionally, many software packages exist that were developed specifically for process servers and investigators. These applications enable you to manage jobs, communicate with your clients, automate your billing and much more.

Take the time to do an audit of your daily operations. What tasks are the most time-consuming? Chances are that technology exists that can help you automate some of these processes, saving you time and money.

13. Build or Update Existing Web Site
If you don't have a web site yet, you need one. If you already have web site, but you haven't updated it in a few years, take the time to go through it to make sure all your information is accurate and up-to-date. You should be doing this at least a couple times per year. You should also avoid putting anything on your site that will require frequent updates such as a news or newsletter section. Chances are you will not have the time or resources to keep this current.

Use your web site as a tool to sell your company as experts in your field. The main goal of your web site as a service provider is to get customers to pick up the phone to call you. Your web site should be professional, clean and precise. Make sure your phone number is clearly visible at the top of each page.

14. Charge more for Private Individuals
Law firms, corporations and private individuals are all important to your business. Naturally, private parties are going to be less knowledgeable and ultimately, you are going to spend more time working with the private person as opposed to the law firm or corporate client. Many investigative and process serving firms have higher rates for private parties because of these reasons. Additionally, private parties are less likely to be repeat customers.

One way to make the process of working with private individuals easier is to provide them with a document that outlines what your service entails and when they should expect to be contacted by you. You may also want to consider putting this on your web site so it can be easily referenced.

15. Set, Plan and Track your Goals
To be successful in anything you need to have goals. To reach your goals you must have a plan. To make sure your plan is working, you must track your progress.

If your plan for 2007 is to double your business, what do you need to do to achieve this? Do you need to advertise more or hire more people? Make a plan to achieve this goal then check in on a monthly basis to see where adjustments need to be made. Just by being cognizant of your goals and your progress, you will put yourself in a positive mindset to help you achieve them.

We hope that this information helps you with your planning for 2007, or at least gives you something to think about. Not all businesses are the same and not all of these ideas are right for every company, but we all have room for improvement. If you are a ServeNow.com or PInow.com customer, we invite you to contact us at (877) 737-8366 or info@serve-now.com to talk about your marketing and advertising in 2007. Additionally, if you have feedback for us regarding how we can improve our services, we would like to hear from you!

About ServeReport
The ServeReport is an email newsletter that focuses on the latest news, events and legislative changes in the process serving and private investigation industries. Read past newsletters here: ServeReport: ServeNow.com Process Server Newsletter Archive

What Every Business Needs to Know About Trademark Investigations

Businesses are becoming more worried about trademarks and with good reason – trademark infringement can undermine entire marketing campaigns and can even drive customers away. Trademark and intellectual property infringement investigations are the best way for companies to protect themselves.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, between 1994 and 2002, the number of instances in which civil remedies were sought in patent, trademark, and copyright infringement cases increased by 20% -- to 8,254. Trademark violations are obviously big news. To businesses and companies, infringement can also mean big problems and big losses.

Trademarks are names, logos, symbols, jingles, words, or slogans that companies use to distinguish one service or product from others. Businesses put a lot of effort into creating and registering trademarks that will appeal to customers and create a strong brand image. Trademark violations occur when a business or person inadvertently or intentionally makes use of a logo, name, jingle, or other marketing tool from another business.

Trademark infringement may include:

• Naming a business using a name that is identical or similar to the name of a similar business

• Using similar products, packaging, logos, or services as other similar businesses in the same marketplace

When Businesses Make a Mistake – Preventing Trademark Infringement

Any business wanting to choose a name for a company, service, or product needs to take steps to prevent lawsuits down the road. Casually selecting a name, logo, or slogan can mean big problems. Incidental trademark infringement is a simple mistake to make. New brand names and businesses are registered each day, and some words are trademarked as well, making business branding a bit of a landmine, especially for smaller businesses, which may not have the legal or money resources to fight a trademark infringement accusation.

In today’s complex business environment, hiring a trademark or corporate investigator before naming any business, product, or service just makes sense. While in the past, businesses used the Internet or the federal database Trademark Electronic Search System (Tess) available through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, today’s many trademarks and multinational companies mean that businesses need professional help to steer clear of inadvertent trademark infringement.

A professional corporate investigator with trademark experience can run international trademark searches and can help ensure that similarities (not just dead-on same names) do not sink a business’s new endeavor. A professional trademark search service by a qualified private investigator can cost less than one thousand dollars but can save a company thousands in legal fees.

Keeping Companies from Becoming Victims: What Every Business Can Do to Secure its Trademarks

Just as businesses want to avoid infringing another company’s trademark, every business also needs to take steps to avoid becoming a victim of trademark infringement. Most companies spend considerable time creating services, names, and brands before spending additional time and money advertising those products and services. Trademark infringement threatens to undermine all this hard work. Worse, trademark infringement can cause lost profits. A company using a similar name, service, or product can literally lure away business from the original trademark holder. Trademark infringement can also confuse customers and clients, costing a company business.

Every company can protect themselves by registering trademarks with the federal trademark office and then using the trade name on web sites, advertisements, and other publications to establish use of the trademark. Using the "®" or “tm” symbol after all trade names can also help. Finally, staying alert for possible trademark violations and acting on them immediately can help reduce the business losses that can result from trademark infringement.

Even with all these precautions, though, businesses can become victims. That’s why more companies are hiring private investigators with intellectual property and business intelligence experience. Experienced private investigators can help determine if any company is violating a trademark and can help gather evidence against any business who is infringing intellectual property rights. With a corporate investigator, a company can more easily get other businesses to adhere to trademark laws and can even get compensation for any business losses that have already occurred due to infringement. For many businesses, trademark and intellectual property infringement investigations are a smart investment.

Chicago IL Private Investigator

The PInow.com team would like to welcome their newest investigator in Chicago.

Chicagoland Detective Services, Inc., a private investigation company, was built with the depth of resources and experience you need to assure yourself of total satisfaction in the investigations arena. Through state of the art technology, experienced personnel, professionalism and a solid asset base, we're able to perform.

For more information please see the PInow Profile Page for:
Don C. Haworth, Private Investigator

Saint George Utah Private Investigator

The PInow.com team would like to welcome their newest investigator in Utah.

Doddridge P.I. provides professional handling of your investigative needs: Criminal defense, surveillance, executive protection, missing children, skiptracing and tracking. The Doddridge Detective Agency is a full service investigations agency licensed in the state of Utah.

For more information please see the PInow Profile Page for:
Doddridge Detective Agency

Winslow Arizona Private Investigator

The PInow.com team would like to welcome their newest investigator in Arizona.

KJC Family Investigations is a family owned business with over 37 years of Law Enforcement and Corrections experience. It's principal investigator has worked for a local agency as an Arizona Certified Peace Officer retiring from the Navajo County Attorneys Office as its Criminal Investigator. His experience includes but is not limited to all forms of Criminal Investigation, Legal Procedure and survelliance. Specialties include Crimes Against Persons, Property Crimes, Financial Crimes and is a court recognized expert in fingerprint comparison in both Navajo and Apache counties.

For more information please see the PInow Profile Page for:
KJC Family Investigations LLC

Nashville Tennessee Investigator

The PInow.com team would like to welcome their newest private investigator in Tennessee.

Bob Lyons and Associates was founded in 2004 by former Metropolitian Nashville Police Lieutenant, Bob Lyons. Our team has an extensive law enforcement background. Expertise in all types of criminal investigations, criminal ex parte investigations, crime scene reconstruction, all types of civil investigations, background and asset searches and process service.

For more information please see the PInow Profile Page for:
Bob Lyons and Associates LLC