In the running for the most asked question of 2016 is “How do I pick a good lawyer?” I have been asked this again and again by people. My best answer is “Ask questions!” First, ask people you trust: Who do you use? Do you like them? Do they listen to you? Are they … Read more
The owner of copyright has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following: to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords; to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work; to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or … Read more
After asking friends, family, and strangers sitting next to you at the bar what they think of it, you have finally decided on a name for your newest product. Now you want to protect it with a federal trademark, but how do you do that? First, I assume that you have already searched the mark … Read more
A stereotypical date night out includes dinner, drinks, and maybe dancing to a band. Turns out that is also a stereotypical list of licenses you need to get if you are starting a place where people will enjoy those behaviors. The license that I, at least, hear the least about is the Entertainment License. In … Read more
Non-compete and non-solicitation provisions have been in my mind lately. Almost like I had a presentation on them recently. Usually, I get asked by employees about the limitations placed on them and by employers how they can use this tool to be fair to employees and contractors but still protect the company’s assets. A question … Read more
Turns out, it isn’t girls who run the world, but contracts that do. Sorry, Beyonce You can barely get through a week without agreeing to one whether it is getting a cell phone, signing up for a new social media account, or getting an oil change. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory … Read more
In August, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals declared that non-solicitation provisions are restraints of trade and must be narrowly tailored as such as part of the case The Manitowoc Company v. Lanning. OK. So….what does that mean? First, it means that if the parties want to spend even more money, they can ask the Wisconsin … Read more
I have already written about aspects of copyright law, but exactly is copyright protection? Copyright protects original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression. One way to think of it is it protects creative works that you can somehow see or hear again and again. Works of authorship include the following categories: … Read more
Often when people are trying to find a trademark for their good or service, they want a mark that hearkens back to whatever it is that they are selling. They want their customer to “know” what it is the customer is buying. But as we have discussed earlier, descriptiveness can be bad. So what is … Read more
I have a friend who has completed multiple Ironman competitions (7 of them, I believe). For those not aware, an Ironman competition is a triathlon organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. It consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile run, done in that order and without stopping. It is … Read more