Intellectual Property for Business Owners – 10 Things You Should Know
Your business has intellectual property made up of your collective ideas, innovation, and intelligence. Your intellectual property can include trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents. There is no arguing the fact that intellectual property has value. A trade secret like the recipe for Coca-Cola can give a company a competitive advantage that lasts for a […]
5 Common but Deadly Small Business Legal Mistakes
Thousands of small businesses open in the United States each year, but the number that survive and thrive for decades are in the minority. Many of these small businesses fail because small business owners make deadly legal mistakes, particularly in the early days—before and after they open their doors to customers. Don’t be among the […]
Trademark Scams – Don’t Pay for What You Don’t Need
In a previous blog post, I shared some tips to protect yourself from trademark scam letters, and unfortunately, the number of scammers continues to grow. That means you need to understand how these scams could affect you so you don’t spend unnecessary money or time thinking about them. The Trademark Scam Letter You filed a […]
Confusing Employees and Independent Contractors: A Costly Risk
Employees and independent contractors are not the same, and the difference isn’t just that employees are on your payroll and independent contractors are not. It’s also not just that employees should sign employment agreements and independent contractors should sign independent contractor agreements. And it’s definitely not that you don’t have to provide medical benefits to […]
Business Name and Trademark Confusion Can Cost Your Business Big Bucks
One of the biggest mistakes that a business can make is failing to secure the trademark for its business name. Many businesses register their business names in their states so they can start operating, and they think that’s all they have to do. Fast forward a few years and a business that makes this mistake […]
10 Tips to Hire a Great Business Lawyer
Have you ever hired a lawyer? Do you know someone who has? Whether you or someone you know has hired an attorney for personal or business matters, you’ve probably heard at least one horror story. That’s because few people do the necessary research to choose a great lawyer before they need one. It’s easy to […]
10-Point Checklist to Start Your Business the Right Way
Starting a business is an exciting time of your life, and just like any other part of your life, you need to take the right steps or you’ll be far more likely to fail. Or worse, you could find yourself in a heap of legal trouble that could have been avoided if you’d taken the […]
Non-Disclosure Agreements – 3 Choices Only You Can Make
You have a great idea for a new business, product, service, or method of doing something. You’ve developed a way to turn that idea into a tangible item, but you can’t actually make that item until you get some money. You approach investors with the hope that one of them will understand your vision and […]
3 Biggest Differences Between the Principal Register and Supplemental Register for Trademarks
You have a business and you want to protect your brand with a trademark so no one else can use it. After all, if another company in your industry starts to use the same brand name as you, consumers could be confused. You don’t want them to think a competitor’s inferior products and services come […]
All Trademark Searches are Not Created Equal
You’ve invested time and money into developing a new business name, brand, logo, or package design and you want to protect it by registering for a federal trademark. That’s great! You’re taking the right step to ensure only you can exploit your intellectual property in the marketplace and earn money from it. But wait. There’s […]