At the first meeting with a potential client, they often (somewhat shamefacedly) say, âIâm not really sure if I need a trademark or copyright or something else. I guess that I donât know the difference.â They say it like of course, they should know the difference. Why wouldnât they know? I mean everyone but them … Read more
Welcome back to the world of Secured Transactions and IP! A quick refresher from last week (link last weekâs post?): lenders engage in âsecured transactionsâ with a borrower who has put up collateral against that loan which has become enforceable. The lender can possess and sell that collateral if the borrower defaults should that lender … Read more
Working for a firm that does a high volume of work with intellectual property allows for deeper dives into IP-related issues. One example involves situations where a lender has loaned money to a person with collateral for that loan being an item of intellectual property, such as an interest in a trademark. Whoa! Can a … Read more
After last weekâs post featured Lola celebrating Thanksgiving in style, it seems only fitting for this post to cover the next phase of the holiday season. Thatâs right, weâre talking Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Given the commercial success associated with these two days each year, you may wonder whether âBlack Fridayâ or âCyber Mondayâ … Read more
Many of our readers are likely familiar with Eminemâs hit single âLose Yourself.â I imagine significantly fewer are familiar with âMomâs Spaghetti,â the underrated and amusing parody to âLose Yourself.â In recent weeks, âMomâs Spaghettiâ made national headlines for a different reason. A âMomâs Spaghettiâ restaurant took its âchance to blowâ by opening in downtown … Read more
I am a self-professed #TrademarkNerd. I think they are interesting beasts. They combine business, law, social science, and, of course, shopping. When a lot of people think about trademarks, they think about what the company owns and does with it. Thatâs fair. Companies spend a lot of time, money, and effort on their trademarks. But … Read more
Unsurprisingly, I find myself often being asked to describe what âintellectual propertyâ is. I, all too often, find myself giving a description that is not all that helpful. If you are asking what âintellectual propertyâ is, then saying âintangible business assetsâ isnât going to get us much closer to understanding. One way that I have … Read more
As trademark attorneys, we get the absolute luck to work with marketing firms and graphic designers a lot. It is a lot of fun to work with such creative professionals. One thing that I hear from them over and over again is âBranding is so much more than trademarks!â I agree! But since I am … Read more
Are you thinking about registering a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the âUSPTOâ)? Registering a trademark can be a very smart and effective decision for your business, but it isnât quite as simple as you might think it is. To register a trademark you need to provide a considerable amount of … Read more
We want you to start your 2021 armed with knowledge! Strong Foundations is a presentation series to help owners of companies build their knowledge of key legal concepts and then use this knowledge to grow their companies on those strong foundations. This first series will discuss intellectual property including trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets and contracts relating to … Read more