Browsing Tag
USPTO
9 posts
How to Select a Business Name and Trademark It
Picking out a name for your business is an exciting step. As you start to brainstorm ideas for your company name, it's important to ask yourself a few questions, including: Does this name reflect my brand? Will customers be able to associate my offerings and services with this business name? Can my business name be...
5 Intellectual Property Considerations Startups Oftentimes Overlook
Many contestants on ABC’s hit show “Shark Tank” answer “yes” when asked if they have a patent, illustrating that startups may generally appreciate the importance of filing a patent application early to protect their innovations. However, there are a variety of options available when developing a company’s strategy for protecting its Intellectual Property (IP). StartupNation...
4 Common Patent Application Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Registering for a patent is a significantly more complex process than registering for other forms of intellectual property protection, like trademarks and copyrights. Trademarks generally require a name search, application and filing fee. Copyright applications (and their filing fees) may be filed with copies of the original works of authorship, like a fictional story or...
What to Know About Opening a Franchise at Any Age
Investing in a franchise can be done at any age and for any type of career in transition. Whether you’re a millennial or a baby boomer, there’s ample opportunity available to become a franchise owner. However, owning and operating a franchise as a baby boomer is certainly a different experience as opposed to getting started...
What You Need to Know Before Applying for a Patent
What should an inventor do almost immediately upon creating a new invention? They must file a patent application. A patent, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the grant of a property right to the inventor. Once a patent has been granted to its inventor, the term may last for up...
Which 3 Types Of Patents Are Recognized by the USPTO?
If you have an idea for an invention, do you know what a patent is? How about the different types of patents? Patents protect the mechanisms, principles and components of an invention. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a patent for an invention is defined as “the grant of a property...
Before Starting a Business in 2019, Tackle These 3 Legal Areas
Planning to start a business in 2019? Here's the good news: preparing now will help to put you and your new company on the right track to success. Great idea? Check. Detailed business plan that objectively measures where you’ll take the company in the short and long-term? Check. Plans to incorporate the business to legitimize...
Social Media Marketing: Can You Trademark a Hashtag?
It’s been more than a decade since the hashtag made its debut on social media. Chris Messina proposed this tagging method on Twitter in 2007. While Twitter developers initially rejected it, it gained traction after users began employing it extensively to track what was happening with the San Diego forest fires in October of 2007....
Securing Your Startup’s Intellectual Property Rights: Patent vs. Trade Secret
Entrepreneurs and emerging companies often look for ways to protect their valuable assets. They want to secure their ideas and ultimately enforce their rights around them. Traditionally, there are four types of intellectual property rights: patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. Patents and trade secrets are the two types of intellectual property rights that protect...