Imagine this scenario: You receive a cease and desist letter from a law firm. It says you are committing trademark infringement and/or copyright infringement. What do you do? Let’s take this step by step: 1. Do. Not. Ignore. It. The circular file is not the...
I meet many business owners and individuals who have written books or manuals, taken professional photographs, created artwork, or written music, and they never register the copyrights for the original works with the U.S. Copyright Office. Some people just do not...
“I invented a new word. How do I trademark it?” This is a question I was asked by a potential client this week. My response was, “What is the product or service?” There was a long pause. A word is not a trademark — unless it is used to identify a product or service...
Changes in workplaces across the country have galvanized a number of people to start their own businesses. Countless corporate employees have decided not to go back to commuting and are launching their own businesses. Maybe they had a big idea during work-from-home...
Great ideas and new businesses are often born during downturns in the economy. Resourceful people are out of work, or their businesses have been shut down. And they start to think about the business they always wanted to start, the clever new product they considered...
Written by Guest Author, Marks Gray Associate Logan McEwen Happy New Year! Start off the new decade the right way for your business with the following tips to protect your growth and curb problems early. Audit Your Trademark Registrations and Business Accounts The...
In the late 1970s, a US federal statute formalized the concept that a work is innately copyright protected at the time of creation. As written, “A work is created when it is ‘fixed’ in a copy or phonorecord for the first time.” While every creator naturally has...
Choosing a company name can be one of the most exciting decisions you make when bringing a business to life – but it can also be one of the most difficult. There is certainly more to it than tossing around catchy names until one sticks. It should be relevant,...