CAN I LEAVE MY PRESENT EMPLOYER TO START MY OWN COMPANY OR JOIN A COMPETITOR EVEN IF I HAVE SIGNED A NONCOMPETE, A NONSOLICITATION, A CONFIDENTIALITY, OR AN INVENTION ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENTS IN CALIFORNIA? Consider the following scenario: You’re a California resident and offered employment by a California or a foreign employer. As a condition of your employment, you’re asked to …
As a provider of products or services, you may want to register your trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for all the benefits the registration provides. But registering your trademark at the USPTO can, sometimes, be a complicated task. That is because, not all trademarks are registrable. There are a number of obstacles that you may …
The creator of a work, whether it is a painting, a manuscript or a photograph, is protected against unauthorized use of the work by others. A recent ruling in a federal lawsuit by a photographer seeking damages for copyright infringement by The Boston Globe, Breitbart News and other news organizations is being characterized as a blow to the wide-spread practices …
Regardless of how complicated the world of intellectual property becomes, one constant line in the sand remains for anyone attempting to protect the rights to their work. No matter what you do, do not let your intellectual property pass into the public domain. What is the Public Domain? But what exactly is the public domain, and why do you need …
After successfully registering your patent with USPTO any competitor attempting to use your idea needs to ask for your approval first. Sometimes you may come across other companies using and selling your ideas without your approval. This is called a patent infringement, and when infringement takes place, the patent holder can pull the offender into court. To sue the alleged …
For any business, the right to tangible assets such as equipment, land, and the like is considered to be common knowledge, and there are no concerns about ownership in such a case. But what about the intangible assets such as the names, symbols, and images? Any creation of the mind that has value is regarded as an intellectual property of …
According to Forbes magazine, 35 percent of the American workforce is composed of freelance workers and independent contractors. Collectively, they have annual earnings of approximately $1 trillion, and 2.8 million of them are business owners. When intellectual property is created by a freelancer or independent contractor, issues frequently arise concerning ownership of the work. Determining ownership of intellectual property can …
While you may believe you need to develop your business further before you start thinking of protecting it, it is, in fact, the opposite that is recommended to foster the growth of your business. Protecting your business‘ identity is something that should be on your to-do list right from inception. This is because as your business grows, the cost associated …
When starting a business, it is easy to get distracted by the amount of work that needs attention. However, one important decision that many entrepreneurs end up neglecting is the decision to protect their intellectual property with the help of trademarks. Having intellectual property rights is extremely vital to the long-term success of the business. A trademark can be used …
Whether big or small, businesses put a lot of effort into distinguishing their brand from the competition in the minds of customers. Businesses constantly work on coming up with a Unique Selling Proposition for their brand to gain more attention from the customers. However, your efforts to build an identity for your brand or your business will prove to be …
