Owners of U.S. trademarks (applicants and registrants) routinely receive trademark-related solicitations by mail and/or email purporting to be official notices or advertisements from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) requesting payment of fees. These are trademark scams and you need to familiarize yourself with them so you can protect yourself from spending money unnecessarily!…
5 Things You Should Do Right Now to Maintain Your Business Entity
One of the primary benefits of incorporating your business is ensuring that you (and any other co-owners of your business) aren’t held personally liable for the legal and financial obligations of the business. The business entity limits your liability by creating a corporate veil between your personal assets and the liabilities of the company, meaning…
5 Intellectual Property Mistakes that Could Cost Your Business More than Just Money
Every business has intellectual property that has the potential to become extremely valuable, but if you don’t protect it from the very beginning, you could face big problems down the road. Not only could you end up in legal trouble, but you could also lose opportunities to expand your brand into new verticals, industries, and…
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…
Trademarks, Copyrights and Common Law: Possession is Only Nine-Tenths of the Law
There is a maxim that tells us, “Possession is 9/10’s of the law.” However, that doesn’t mean you can ignore the remaining 1/10. In fact, doing so when it comes to your trademarks and copyrights could cause irreparable harm to you and your business! For this concept to make sense, you need to understand how…
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…