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 …
Intellectual property (IP) includes your company’s creations, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, and product designs, along with symbols, names, and images used in commerce. If your company relies on innovation or only the strength of its reputation, it will entail using some intellectual property. As a result, you need to manage your IP effectively within your market to …
As a smart business owner, you’ve sought patent protection for all your products and processes, along with your trademarks and other intellectual property. However, you may not be aware that the rights granted by a U.S. patent extend only throughout the United States—they have absolutely no effect in a foreign country. Any inventor who wants patent protection in other countries …
Michael Ahmadshahi is considered to be among the best and most thorough Intellectual Property attorneys because of his first-hand experience and knowledge in researching, writing and filing patents. Click here to read the original article: California Business Journal article on Michael Ahmadshahi BY RICK WEINBERG, CALIFORNIA BUSINESS JOURNAL If you have an invention or idea worth patenting, you naturally would …
Many successful companies today are getting aggressive with their intellectual property efforts to increase their annual licensing royalties. The management of intellectual property has become a core competency of many successful companies—it’s a unique and easy way to add value and increase profits. Some call these potential licensing opportunities “Rembrandts in the attic,” waiting to be leveraged for profit and …
In California, a startup must file for a “fictitious business name” (FBN), if it operates under a name other than its legal name. For startups, it may be important for you to become familiar the notion of a DBA—otherwise known as a DBA (“Doing Business As”), “assumed business name,” or “trade name.” In your startup is only you as an …
In some instances of unfair competition or trade secret theft, litigation can be unavoidable. When it happens, startups involved are often not aware of the speed with which a case can move to conclusion, and the little amount of time there can be for preparation. One of the most critical stages in a case of trade secret or unfair competition …
