Category: Intellectual Property

Nike zealously safeguards the company’s intellectual property, and who’s surprised by that? After all, the global shoemaking titan’s products are — and for years have been — in hot demand with consumers ranging from preschool tots to professional basketball players. Frankly, there is a lot to protect. We note on our business and commercial law website at…

If you’re the owner of intellectual property rights in a musical product (a song, perhaps, which you wrote or produced), it shouldn’t be that hard to get your fair share of the royalties generated by that product, right? Actually, that can be just about as difficult as was the labor expended in creating a protected…

A celebrity doesn’t get much bigger than country/pop music star Taylor Swift. She is not simply a singer; she is a brand, a business with so much money and power that it might seem daunting for another business to challenge her in any sort of business litigation.  The power of Swift, however, was not enough…

We noted in our immediately preceding blog post the centrality of property in the United States Constitution. Explicit constitutional language clearly indicates the longstanding view in American society that intellectual property interests are flatly important and merit safeguarding. And, as we observed in our October 5 blog post, that view persists, with millions of Americans knowing…

You know that a specific topic or subject matter is A-list material when it merits mention in the United States Constitution. The right to vote. Freedom of speech. An independent judiciary. No kings. And, for purposes of discussion in our blog post today, the existence of legal safeguards that protect the property rights and interests…

Intellectual property refers to any creation, including things like inventions and art pieces, and how they are used in commerce. Any kind of intellectual property is protected by a series of items such as copyrights, trademarks or patents, depending on the type of property. These protective copyrights or patents also allow the person who created…

If you’ve worked hard to develop a brand for your business, then you know how important it is to protect your intellectual property. Brands are established to signify specific services, products and ideas, and if someone infringes on your intellectual property rights and creates confusion among consumers, then the consequences could be quite serious. On…

If you own a business, chances are at some point down the road you will have to make a decision that will either lead to success or failure. One decision that some business owners have found particularly challenging is choosing a domain name. This can be a challenge because it is going to be one…

We’ve all seen Converse’s famous high-top sneaker called the Chuck Taylor All-Star. For some, this is a highly recognizable design, even if they can’t tell you who makes the shoe. So, with it being so recognizable, is it possible for Converse to trademark the appearance of the shoe?  If you’ve been paying attention to intellectual…

Whether you’re a privately owned business or a large corporation, chances are you have probably taken steps to make sure that you are in compliance with all facets of the law. You have probably taken these steps because you know how costly and damaging civil litigation can be for a company, which isn’t something you…

If you’ve looked at the class list at any fitness center in the United States, chances are you’ve seen yoga listed at least once or twice. You can’t even walk into a retail store without seeing workout outfits or mats specifically designed for this form of exercise. For a lot of our California readers though,…

For many businesses and companies across the nation, branding is incredibly important because it distinguishes a company from its competitors. This is true with both the company name and the names and images associated with their products as well. But what happens when your company’s branding starts to overlap with the branding of another company?…

The world of copyright law is a tricky one as we’re sure some of our California readers already know. This is especially true when the fair use doctrine is applied. When fair use comes into play, as you may already know, situations can get complicated quickly. Difficult legal questions are often raised too, such as…

Even though people might not want to admit it, social media sites like Facebook are a major part of their day, often being the first thing they do when they get up and the last thing they do before they go to bed. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with regularly posting photos, reading comments “liking”…

How often do you think about state and federal laws? If you’re like most people here in the United States, then you probably think very little about how the law affects you from day to day life. But as our society becomes more involved in using the Internet and social media to express ourselves, the…

How often do you think about state and federal laws? If you’re like most people here in the United States, then you probably think very little about how the law affects you from day to day life. But as our society becomes more involved in using the Internet and social media to express ourselves, the…

There are a lot of things you might have questions about when you first startup a business. Are you going to provide goods or a service? How many employees will you have? How quickly do you want to expand? Do you have the right legal representation at your side to make sure you are abiding…