Business is More Exciting Than Any Game

Trademarks are among a business' most valuable and important assets. But before a business rushes to file a trademark application without thinking of the problems that could ensue, businesses should always take 3 key steps before starting the trademark application process. In certain specific cases, a 4th step may be called for. These steps to take before filing a trademark application with the U....

If you're in the process of picking a flagship trademark for your business or professional practice, then you need to understand the degrees of distinctiveness of various types of trademarks and why that is important to you and your business. Listen to today's podcast episode to learn more about trademarks that are generic, descriptive, suggestive, arbitrary or fanciful (and why it matters to you)...

Some of a small business's most valuable assets are its intellectual property, including its trademarks. But careless trademark licensing can put a business's trademarks at risk. Without a proper measure of quality control over the goods and services sold by a trademark owner's licensees, the trademark owner jeopardizes the validity of its trademarks. Listen to today's podcast episode to learn mor...

Entrepreneurs and small business owners (particularly those whose business involves content creation) need to know the basics of copyright registration. Listen to today's podcast to learn more.  

On April 14, 2020, the Small Business Administration published a new Interim Final Rule that provides helpful guidance for self-employed individuals who operate businesses as sole proprietors. The new SBA Interim Final Rule explains how much a self-employed person who operates a business but who reports his or her net self-employment income on Schedule C of Form 1040 is eligible to borrow under th...

Entrepreneurs who pursue their business dreams through online retail sales, whether their goods are tangible products or digital information downloads, MUST understand the concept of "economic nexus" in order to avoid a potential sales tax problem down the road. Listen to today's episode to learn more.

With much of the country on lockdown at present due to the COVID-19 pandemic, small business owners may be thinking of ways to prepare their businesses for a strong recovery once the lockdowns end. But what can business owners do from home to prepare for the future? Well, one thing that can be done is to look into whether the business might want to start the ball rolling on protecting a trademark...

Many businesses are founded and operated by equal co-owners. But what if there is a dispute about a significant business decision? How can it be handled when each of the owners has an equal ownership interest and vote in the business? And what happens to a business where there is a deadlock between the co-owners? Businesses with two owners who each have a 50% ownership interest must confront this...

Generic trademarks are not protectable through Federal trademark registration. But can a business convert the generic word in its website domain name to a non-generic trademark simply by adding ".com" to its trademark? The U.S. Supreme Court will wrestle with this issue later this year in a case involving the hotel booking site, Booking.com.