Trademarks are somewhat straightforward. A trademark is anything that acts as a source identifier for a particular product or service. It is the thing that allows the public to discern where that product or service is coming from. Think the apple with a bite out of it, or coca-cola written in that fanciful font. I have discussed trademarks at length …
Social Media, #Influencers, and the FTC
Social Media advertising is a billion-dollar industry. Make that $19.3 billion in 2018 in the United States. It’s no wonder everyone wants to be an influencer, work with influencers, or be the brand every influencer wants to work with. So it’s also not surprising that the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) is continuing to disrupt influencer marketing by handing out …
Top 5 Reasons to have a Partnership Agreement
I took a minor hiatus from blogging here for a while. I put up a YouTube video which you can check out here and I appeared on a friend’s two-part blog which you can check out here and here. But this week I am back with some more legal information for you and your business! So let’s jump right in. Today’s topic …
Quick Copyright Facts
Check out my latest video where I discuss the one thing you should understand about copyright protection! If you have questions or want to talk more about copyright issues feel free to send an email to me at shannon@montgomerypllc.com. And remember, this is not legal advice, just some legal knowledge for you!
10 Reasons To Register Your Trademark
I’ve talked about the importance of trademark registration before. I’ve talked about when you should register, and why you should (or maybe shouldn’t) from a purely business perspective, but I don’t think I have ever laid out the exact reasons why registering your trademarks with the USPTO is a great idea if you’re a business owner with a brand worth …
Influencer Immunity: It doesn’t exist
I have the pleasure of working with multiple social media influencers. They typically hate that word, but for lack of a better term that is what we are going to use for this article. I think this is going to be the start of a series on what not to do as an influencer, or how to stay out of …
PSA: When you start a business, there will be scams
This post will likely be pretty short but I thought it was important enough to talk about. The reason I say this is because I have a client that calls me pretty regularly to ask me questions about physical mail, or emails they receive saying they owe someone money or filing fees related to their newly set up LLC in …
Top 4 Legal Considerations in Branding
One of my goals when working with a new business client is to help them approach branding not only from a marketing perspective but from a legal perspective. In fact, the legal aspects of branding are arguably as important if not more important than the marketability of the brand. Because what’s the point of marketing something that isn’t legally protectable? …
#SocialMedia #AuditThatPlatform
I know the word audit brings about a certain level of fear for business owners and individuals alike, but in this case the term audit is being used in a positive manner. I promise. I released a free downloadable legally fit audit earlier this year (you can still get that here). This audit goes through a series of questions in …
Why Social Media has made it Necessary to Register Your Trademarks
Yes, your trademarks are protected by common law. And I know I’ve mentioned a time or two why registration with the USPTO is a good idea. While I stick by my previous statements about the benefits of registration, an event this week with a client has inspired me to put this article together and give you yet another reason why …