Protect Your Passion: A Sex-Positive Guide to Intellectual Property

marla stewart
1 day ago
3 min read

"You are the brand. The work you create is your legacy. Safeguard it unapologetically." — Ericka Hart, Sex Educator & Speaker

a typewriter that has paper coming out of it that says copyright claim

You’ve poured your soul into your brand. Your words, your images, your classes, your creations—they’re extensions of you. So when someone copies your work or uses it without credit, it’s not just frustrating—it’s violating.

That’s why protecting your intellectual property (IP) is essential, especially in the sex-positive, adult, and intimacy-based industries where mainstream protections are often harder to access.

Whether you’re a coach, content creator, sex educator, dommepreneur, or erotic artist—your work deserves to be protected.

Let’s walk through what intellectual property is, why it matters, and how you can protect your brilliance from being misused or stolen.

✍️ What Counts as Intellectual Property (IP)?

IP is more than just ideas. It’s the tangible creations of your mind that you've expressed or produced, such as:

Your course content
E-books, workbooks, or curriculum
Brand names and logos
Taglines or slogans
Podcasts, videos, and photos
Art, music, or performance-based work
Erotic characters or storylines
Website copy or unique frameworks
Signature workshop titles

If it’s original and you created it—it’s intellectual property. Now the question is: how do you protect it?

🔐 1. Copyrights: Your First Line of Defense

What it protects: Original works of authorship (text, visuals, media). How to get it: You automatically have a copyright the moment your work is fixed in a tangible format—but registering with the U.S. Copyright Office makes enforcement way easier in court.

Use this for:

Workbooks and course materials
Recorded classes
Art and erotic writing
Website and blog content

™️ 2. Trademarks: Lock Down Your Brand Identity

What it protects: Words, phrases, logos, or designs that identify your brand. How to get it: You can claim a common law trademark by using your brand in business, but registering with the USPTO gives you national protection.

Use this for:

Business name
Podcast or program titles
Logos and slogans
Branded catchphrases

Pro tip: Before choosing a name, search the USPTO database and domain/social handles to make sure it’s not already taken. It’ll save you legal stress later.

📚 3. Contracts: Your Best Legal Friend

Contracts protect your content before issues arise. Use them for:

Collaborators (clarify who owns what)
Contractors (especially designers, photographers, editors)
Clients (set terms around use and redistribution)

Make sure to include:

IP ownership clause
Non-disclosure or confidentiality clauses
Licensing terms (if you allow reuse)

🕵🏽‍♀️ 4. Monitor & Enforce Your Rights

You can’t protect what you’re not watching. Regularly:

Reverse image search your graphics or photos
Google your unique program names or phrases
Use plagiarism-checking tools for your content
Set up Google Alerts for your brand

If you find a copycat: Start with a cease-and-desist letter and escalate to an attorney, if needed. Keep receipts and screenshots!

✨ 5. Bonus: Protecting IP in the Sex-Positive Industry

You’re not just protecting a brand—you’re often protecting your body of work, your erotic labor, and your legacy in a space that already faces stigma. That makes this work even more critical.

Use pseudonyms or LLCs to separate legal identity from personal.
Work with sex-positive lawyers who understand your niche.
Consider Creative Commons licenses if you want to share but with limits.

💼 Want More Support? This blog was inspired by my upcoming workshop, “Secure the Bag, Safeguard the Brand: Protecting Your Intellectual Property”, happening later this month.

Whether you're just starting out or scaling big, it’s time to put your legal armor on.

Final Thought

If you’ve worked hard to create it, you deserve to keep control of it. Protecting your intellectual property is about more than legal rights—it’s about honoring your work, your boundaries, and your business.

Cheers to your professional sexcess!