What are your 2024 goals?

As we start a New Year, the world is abuzz with talk of New Year’s resolutions and new goals for 2024. What are your business goals for this year? If you need some ideas, we have some suggestions: Employee Handbook Review. Every year, your employee handbook should be reviewed because the law changes every year.…

Ginny speaks on intellectual property and starting your new business

Our co-founder, Ginny Bonifacino, had the pleasure of speaking to two different groups of new business owners this fall. For the Independent Museum Professionals network, she co-presented with her law school friend and fellow museum-lover, Heather Hope Kuruvilla, on The Business of Being an Independent Museum Professional. They covered common issues and tips for structuring…

The Limitations of Using AI in the Workplace

The headlines have been rampant that generative AI is threatening millions of jobs. But we also have the other end of the spectrum of attorneys being sanctioned for relying on generative AI to do their work for them.  So, is there a productive role for generative AI in the workplace, in particular the legal field? …

Why Register a Trademark? It creates value!

Registering a trademark with a the federal U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is often one of those steps that entrepreneurs and business owners will put as a low priority. However, it can be a simple way to increase the value of your business. Don’t take my word for it. A recent article on IPWatchDog discussed…

Copyright Claims Board: New Enforcement for Small Copyright Claims

A copyright protects creative works that are fixed in a medium (photography, writing, video) from being copied and exploited without the creator’s permission.  A copyright exists the moment when the original work is fixed in some media. While copyrights exist on many different types of creative works, infringement frequently goes unpunished because litigation is expensive…

I registered my trademark. Now what?

By registering a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the owner is making an investment in its future growth and success. It owns the monopoly on using that mark in the United States to sell its good or services. But the registration is not the end. It is essential that trademark owners…

Protecting Intangible Assets Through Business Contracts

Think you don’t have intangible assets? Think again. In today’s world, virtually every business has intellectual property and other intangible assets which add value to the business. In our practice, we see that almost all business relationships—B2B, B2C, employment, and vendor—present opportunities to protect, grow, and possibly monetize a company’s intellectual property and other intangible…

Art Brushes with set on a paint pallette

Do I have any intellectual property?

Every business has some sort of intellectual property – whether it is your logo, marketing materials, software, or recipes.  This all is intellectual property.  Learning to identify your business’s intellectual property and ensuring it is properly protected can add value to your business.   The four types of intellectual property are:  Copyright A copyright protects someone…

Gold bitcoins cryptocurrency

What’s a NFT? 

We’ve written about how there are four different types of intellectual property but were we wrong? Is there now a fifth?  NFTs are non-fungible tokens, but what does that mean?  NFTs are anything that is digital and unique that can be sold.  It is a new form of media for art and anything else that…

What are the elements of a strong employee non-disclosure agreement? 

In a tight market, businesses want to protect their confidential information and trade secrets from walking out the door with a departing employee.  It is essential to have a non-disclosure agreement in place to protect your business.  Commonly referred to as NDAs, a strong agreement usually contains four restrictive covenants:  1. Protection and Non-Disclosure of…