Latest Posts
Trademark vs. Legal Name vs. Assumed Name
Did you know an assumed name (aka a DBA) doesn’t protect your business’s brand? Or that a trademark protects its brand, but not its limited liability?
Introducing the Zen Trademark Search
Zen Subscribers can now receive a free trademark search after subscribing for three months.
Copyright Small Claims Court for Creatives and Their Clients
What creatives, small businesses, and nonprofits need to know about the new copyright small claims court.
Copyright Mythbusting
Take a few minutes to learn the truth behind costly copyright myths.
Origami Newsletter – The Corporate Transparency Act and You
Origami Legal2021 Vol 1 The end of 2020 saw a flurry of legislation become law, three of which are relevant business owners, nonprofit leaders, and creative professionals and practitioners. This newsletter will brief you on what you need to know about The Corporate...
Dealing With Bad Reviews
"I'm never going back. I saw two rats in the kitchen making babies and I saw one of the babies and it looked at me! Great breadsticks though, two stars." - A review by Alf Riggum. Gotten a bad review on Yelp or Google? A bad review, even if of dubious basis in fact,...
Trademark Clearance Searching – The First Step Towards Building a Lasting Brand
Trademark clearance helps you understand whether anyone else has rights that can prevent you from developing your own trademark rights in a chosen brand name, logo, or other trademark material. Whether you're launching a new product or a whole new company, you need to...
Opening a Bank Account for Your Business
Opening a bank account for your business can be surprisingly complicated. There are only a few key pieces of information that banks are actually required to collect by law, but many banks choose to require additional information and documentation, and that information...
What You Need to Know About L3Cs
You may have heard of an L3C, which sounds a lot like an LLC, but with a number. What is this mysterious, numbered entity type? Click here to learn more about the social enterprise vehicle that never really got off the ground.
B(r)and On the Run: Trademark Registrations for Recording Artists
Eminem, Lizzo, and ABBA. The names of recording artists, or registered trademarks? Why not both?
If you’re a recording artist, your name or band name may be an important part of your identity, and a valuable asset in its own right that can be turned into merchandising and licensing revenues. Learn what goes into registering a trademark for your name or band name.