If you have licensed your intellectual property, royalties are at the heart of the deal. This is how you get paid and how licensees gain access without owning the IP outright. But how do royalty payments work in IP licensing deals? Here is a look at what you need to know about these agreements. With…
Registering a trademark is important for protecting your brand. Whether you’re launching a new business or protecting a product or service name, a federal trademark can help prevent others from using similar marks. What are the steps to register a trademark with the USPTO? The process may seem intimidating, but there is a clear path…
When launching a new business, product, or brand, you may want to quickly move from idea to execution. In the middle of your momentum, the trademark search step could be seen as optional or unnecessary. So, what happens if I skip the trademark search step? You might think that this is a way to save…
Choosing the right name for your business, product, or brand is an exciting step. But before you fall in love with it, you need to make sure it is not already trademarked. If you use a name that is protected, that can lead to expensive legal disputes and forced rebranding. Plus, it can affect your…
Whether developing original content or protecting a brand, you need legal help. Your intellectual property is one of your most valuable assets. And with something that important, you do not want just any lawyer handling it. You need to find the right one. But how to choose the best intellectual property attorney? You need someone…
Cybersquatting might sound like a tech buzzword. However, for businesses and individuals, this is a real legal issue with tangible consequences. Cybersquatting happens when someone registers, uses, or sells a domain name that’s identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or personal name. Many times, this is done to profit from someone else’s established reputation. …
Imagine typing your business name into your browser, expecting to see your own website, but only to see something completely unrelated. That is a sinking feeling. Someone else has registered your name as a domain, and now you’re left wondering what to do about it. You might be asking yourself, “What happens when someone registers…
Every company has a few secrets. Sometimes, that is a recipe, but other times, it’s a client list, a pricing strategy, a custom process, or a formula that makes your business run more profitably than others. That is known as a trade secret. It is the quiet powerhouse behind a business’s success. But trade secrets…
Intellectual property (IP) is the heart and soul of creativity and business innovation. From logos and brand names to patents and trade secrets, these rights protect the ideas and hard work that make your business unique. But what happens when someone steps on those rights? Here is where the role of cease and desist letters…
Starting a new business is a new adventure. But in the middle of all the excitement, it is easy to treat intellectual property (IP) like an afterthought. However, weaving IP protection into your business formation plan at this stage saves you from headaches, rebrands, and disputes down the road. So, how to embed IP protection…
