Social media influencer was not a job title when I was growing up. Social media did exist, but it was used primarily to connect with friends or watch funny cat videos. But as we all know times have changed and now not only is “Influencer” a job title, it’s a pretty lucrative one at that. But like anything in life, …
Arbitrary or Fanciful: Choose a Strong Mark
In a recent article, I discussed the importance of not having a company name that is merely descriptive or generic This week I want to talk about the types of marks you do want, in order to obtain trademark registration with the USPTO. As mentioned earlier, distinctiveness gives a mark the ability to distinguish the goods or services upon which …
The Different Types of Trademark Applications
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 …
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 …
Boilerplate Contract Clauses and What They Mean
You may or may not have heard the term boilerplate before. It’s just another fancy word used by attorneys to describe the standardized language used in contracts. And although not all contracts contain the same boilerplate language, many do and I think it will be helpful for you to know what the heck some of those things mean. If you …
How to Make Your Passion and Career Collide
This week I wanted to share with you all an interview I did with the guys over at The Lawyerist! I’ve been an avid Lawyerist listener for years, so when they asked if I’d like to be a guest on the show I jumped at the chance. The discussion goes into a little bit about what I do here at …
Five Reasons NOT to be a Sole Proprietor.
Hopefully, by now you have read through one of my many past articles so you have seen me discuss things like business entities, why they are important, and even how to take the first steps to set something up for yourself. But, I don’t doubt that there are still so many questions regarding entity formation and what entity is the …
Work For Hire and the CA Conundrum
For those of you that don’t know, I decided to take the CA bar last year and have since become a fully licensed CA attorney. Which is great! But, CA is probably the one state with the most to know when it comes to laws and regulations. And, it has a tendency to be an outlier on a lot of …
Trademark Refresher: Just the major points
Sometimes I forget that I am immersed in the trademark world, so a lot of this is second nature to me and that just isn’t true for the general population. I do this with health and fitness too, and it keeps me from providing as much help and value as I can. So today I wanted to take the time …