A trademark represents a company or product. If you go to the trouble of coming up with a particular trademark, it makes sense that you would want to protect it. Why Register your Trademark? There are many reasons why you should register your trademark, including protecting yourself from unregistered trademark infringement in various situations. For example, did you know … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons You Should Register Your Trademark
Intellectual Property
Business Websites and Copyright
Internet law in America can seem like the Wild West. A vast metaphorical landscape where laws are either flimsy or rarely enforced. In the United States at least, the enforcement of copyright law has always been flimsy. Individuals are rarely taken to court or fined over their decision to illegally stream movies, download music, or utilize other people’s material on their … [Read more...] about Business Websites and Copyright
Who Owns the Copyright of Work Created by a Contractor?
It's really basic: ownership of the copyright in work a business pays for can often be critical for successful commercialization of that work. Unfortunately, the U.S. Copyright contains arcane provisions that will often produce a counterintuitive result - leaving full copyright ownership with the contractor. How could this possibly be?? Internet attorneys, advisers and … [Read more...] about Who Owns the Copyright of Work Created by a Contractor?
How to Protect Your Business Ideas
If your business is built on a truly original idea, one of the first steps you need to take is to get a legal protection of that idea. You need to consider the protection of your intellectual property early in the formation of the business. It is heartbreaking to find that the idea you've worked so hard to conceptualize and develop is stolen by other people and companies. … [Read more...] about How to Protect Your Business Ideas
Understanding “Owned and Controlled” Licenses
In the coming years, as we turn on our televisions, it will become increasingly more difficult to tell whether we are actually seeing television or instead are watching the Internet or, more likely, a combination of both. As broad band, digital television combines with DSL and cable modem technology, multicasting of all sorts will be a reality. This convergence of technologies … [Read more...] about Understanding “Owned and Controlled” Licenses
How Intellectual Property Affects Your Business
You may not realize it, but you deal with intellectual property (IP) every day. If you own a website, that website is your intellectual property. The way you deal with IP yours and others can directly impact the success of your business. What is Intellectual Property? Registered patent attorney Patricia McQueeney (http://www.brinkleymcnerney.com) explains, "[Intellectual … [Read more...] about How Intellectual Property Affects Your Business
12 Steps to Filing a U.S. Patent Application
If you are looking to apply for a patent, learn the process a legal counsel typically goes through as well as estimated costs of each process. Here are the steps when filing a patent application: 1. Preparation and submission of a disclosure in written form to designated company managers of the idea or innovation by its creator(s) for initial review and summary … [Read more...] about 12 Steps to Filing a U.S. Patent Application
Protect Your Business with Trademarks and Copyrights
So you've put all this work into your business: you've got a name, you've made some marketing materials, even written some things for your customers. If you don't want your competitors to be able to take what you've done and exploit it, though, you're going to need to take some steps to protect yourself. What's in a Name? Your name is one of the most important assets your … [Read more...] about Protect Your Business with Trademarks and Copyrights
Allowing Other People to Use the Name of your Company as their Own
QUESTION ON Allowing Other People To Use Your Company Name Hello, My husband owns a corporation and would like to add two men into his corporation. He doesn't want them to profit from his business, but he wants them to be able to work under his name and license, he is a Drywall Finisher and Painter. How would he do this and how much would it cost? Please let us know as soon … [Read more...] about Allowing Other People to Use the Name of your Company as their Own
Understanding Trademarks & Protecting Business Names
The business name is the most important intellectual property asset, yet many small and home-based entrepreneurs fail to take steps to protect their business names. We interviewed Shannon Moore, the General Manager for TradeMark Express to shed light on the importance of protecting your business name as well as the process and cost of getting your name trademarked. Ms. Moore … [Read more...] about Understanding Trademarks & Protecting Business Names
