Because the modern marketplace is a crowded place, business leaders must think of memorable ways to market their products or services. In addition to generating a trademarked logo and slogan, it is often essential to create and formally protect trade dress. Trade...
Intellectual Property
Are corporate blogs vulnerable to copyright litigation?
With the explosion of social media and internet usage in recent decades, many corporations throughout California have added blogs to their webpages. Not only do these blogs easily link to social media platforms, but they also help companies achieve search engine...
Should you work out an agreement before making a contract?
If you want to partner with another company to license your intellectual property, you should consider working out an initial agreement first before negotiating your final contract. It may seem odd that you should make an agreement with your potential licensee in...
Copyright laws: Protecting your content in the internet age
For decades, the copyright process in California and around the nation was pretty straightforward. Art such as films, plays and books would all be easily inserted into this copyright sector. However, the introduction of the internet has made things a little...
Quality control in licensing agreements
Individuals who come up with a valuable intellectual property can reap great profits from licensing it out to another party like a manufacturer or a merchandising company. To help ensure the products the licensee creates are not substandard and harm the reputation of...
When protecting IP, do not forget about trade dress
Most inventors, entertainers, musicians and entrepreneurs recognize the importance of protecting intellectual property. After all, a tremendous amount of hard work goes into developing ideas. If business owners do not take steps to protect trade dress, though, they...
How important are the differences between a license and release?
You may have a client who wants to use someone else's intellectual property. Your client may ask you to help with gaining permission. This may involve a release or a license agreement. What are the differences between the two? Do you need either one or the other?...
How to draft a solid licensing agreement
Today’s technology makes it simple for artists, designers and entertainers to reach their audience. Unfortunately, it is also easier than ever for them to lose control of their intellectual property. These creative people are often brilliant, but when it comes to...
When companies in different states have the same name
Businesses register their names at a state level, so coming across another business with the same name in another state is not necessarily something for company owners to feel surprised or worried about. However, when there is a risk of one company’s business...
Basic concepts concerning music copyrights
Copyright laws may seem straightforward on the surface, but they are quite complex the more you dig into them. This often poses some issues for people who want to use copyright protection and for those who want to use copyrighted material. One area where there is...