Building Your Business: Why Every Public Figure Needs an IP Strategy Before Going Viral
Here's something most creators don't think about: the moment your content starts taking off, you're accidentally building a business. Every inside joke that becomes your signature, every visual style that screams "you," every format you create that people start copying—it's all intellectual property. And if you're not careful, someone else might end up owning pieces of what you built.
I've seen this story play out too many times. A creator finally makes it big, then discovers they can't use their own catchphrase on merchandise, or their unique format has been trademarked by someone else, or worse—they can't even use their brand name outside of social media.
The frustrating part? Most of this is completely preventable.
The Taylor Swift Wake-Up Call
Everyone knows Taylor Swift's master recordings drama by now, but here's why it matters for creators: she's literally one of the biggest artists in the world, and she still lost control of her own work. Her solution was to re-record everything—expensive, time-consuming, and something only someone with her massive fanbase could pull off.
Most of us don't have Taylor Swift money or Taylor Swift fans. We need to get this right the first time.
The bigger lesson? These problems get exponentially harder to fix as you grow. Sorting out ownership when you have 10K followers is paperwork. Sorting it out when you have 10 million followers is a multi-million-dollar legal nightmare.
What You're Actually Building (And Don't Realize It)
When you're posting content every day, you're not just creating posts—you're building a portfolio of intellectual property. Your brand name, those phrases everyone associates with you, your unique way of presenting content, even your color schemes and visual style—all of this has commercial value.
Look at the fitness space. Creators who got smart early and trademarked their workout program names, their signature formats, their methodologies? They're licensing deals, building franchises, creating product lines. The ones who didn't? They're watching competitors run identical programs with zero legal recourse.
It's the difference between building a business you own versus building an audience someone else can capitalize on.
When Waiting Costs Everything
I wish these were hypothetical scenarios, but they're not:
The Brand Name Hijack: Multiple lifestyle influencers have discovered their brand names were quietly trademarked by other people while they were busy creating content. When they tried to launch websites or products, they got cease and desist letters for using their own names.
The Format Theft: A cooking creator developed this brilliant recipe presentation style that went viral. Within months, major food brands were using identical formats, and a competitor actually trademarked the format name. The original creator? No legal protection, no recourse.
The Merch Nightmare: Comedy creators watching their signature phrases show up on thousands of knockoff products across Amazon and Etsy, with no way to stop it or make money from it.
Logan Paul actually got this right early on. His "Maverick" trademark filings let him build a massive merchandise empire. But even he's had disputes over international branding, showing how complex this gets as you scale globally.
The podcast world is full of cautionary tales too. When Joe Rogan moved to Spotify for that reported $100+ million deal, a huge part of that value came from him owning his content and brand. Compare that to other podcast partnerships that have publicly imploded over ownership questions.
Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" situation is another perfect example. Her ability to maintain control over key brand elements during the Barstool-to-Spotify transition let her negotiate from a position of strength. Without that IP ownership, she would have been starting from scratch.
Even beauty influencers launching product lines face this. The ones with proper trademark protection can shut down knockoffs and control their brand collaborations. The ones without? They watch their signature products get copied with no way to fight back.
Building Protection That Actually Works
Here's the thing about IP strategy—it doesn't have to be overwhelming, but it does have to be intentional.
Start with an honest audit. What do you actually own? Your brand name, your signature phrases, your unique content formats, your visual branding. Make a list. Then figure out what's making you money now and what could make you money later.
Prioritize like your business depends on it (because it does). Your main brand name and logo should be trademarked first. Any phrases or formats that are already generating revenue should be next. Everything else can wait, but shouldn't wait forever.
Build systems, not just protection. Keep records of when you create things. Track your trademark renewals. Know how you'll respond when someone inevitably rips off your content.
Why This Actually Makes You Money
IP protection isn't just defensive—it's how you build real business value. Creators with protected content formats license them to other creators and brands. Trademark protection makes product lines viable because you can actually prevent knockoffs. Brands pay more to work with creators who own clear rights to their content.
MrBeast didn't become a business empire by accident. Beyond the viral content, he protected the intellectual property around his unique formats, challenge concepts, and branding elements. That protection is what lets him expand into restaurants, merchandise, and other ventures while keeping control of his brand identity.
The International Headache
Planning to go global? IP law gets messy fast. Different countries have different rules, and some operate on "first to file" systems instead of "first to use." I've seen U.S. creators discover their brand names were already trademarked in key international markets, completely blocking expansion plans.
The fix involves strategic international filing, but it's way cheaper to plan for this early than to try to buy back your own brand name later.
Common Mistakes That Cost Millions
Mistake #1: Assuming Social Media Handles Equal Trademark Protection
Having @yourbrandname doesn't give you legal rights to that name for business purposes. Social media handles are platform-specific permissions, not legal protection.
Mistake #2: Using "Poor Man's Copyright"
Mailing yourself a copy of your content doesn't create meaningful legal protection. Proper copyright registration provides significantly stronger legal rights and remedies.
Mistake #3: Waiting Until You "Make It"
The time to protect your IP is before you need to, not after someone infringes on it. Legal protection takes time to establish, and retroactive protection is often impossible.
Mistake #4: DIY Complex IP Strategy
While some basic protections can be handled independently, complex trademark searches, international strategy, and enforcement require specialized expertise.
Your Game Plan
Under 50K followers: Get serious about trademark searches and lock down key domain names. Start documenting everything you create—dates, concepts, original ideas.
50K-250K followers: Time to file trademark applications for your main brand name and valuable phrases. Consider copyright registration for your best content.
250K+ followers: You need a comprehensive IP strategy now. International considerations, licensing opportunities, enforcement protocols—the whole thing.
1M+ followers: Regular portfolio reviews, international expansion protection, and defensive registrations to keep competitors at bay.
The Real Talk
Every creator who makes it eventually becomes a business owner, whether they planned to or not. The ones who thrive long-term treat their brand like the valuable asset it is—and protect it like one too.
Your IP strategy isn't about paranoia or legal technicalities. It's about making sure that when your creativity finally pays off, you're the one who gets paid.
The best time to protect your intellectual property was when you posted your first video. The second-best time is right now.
Ready to stop leaving money on the table and start protecting what you've built? Let's audit your intellectual property and create a strategy that actually grows with your brand.