There are lots of potential obstacles you can encounter during the application process of a trademark. These obstacles come in the form of Office Actions from the USPTO. Receiving an Office Action can sometimes, though not always, mean that registration is refused by the Examiner. In this post we’ll discuss one of two major reasons… Continue Reading
Running Your Business
3 Points to Remember When Considering a Trademark Registration Service
Who to Hire? Trademark Attorney or Online Trademark Registration Service As a new solopreneur, it’s a given that your budget is tight and you are cost-sensitive. Of course, as you decide which services you need at each stage of launching your business, legal fees are bound to cause a slight bit of panic. After all,… Continue Reading
Choice Overload: How Do I Choose a Trademark Attorney? (Part 2)
My last post started this two-part series on how to choose a trademark attorney. Previously, we discussed finding potential attorneys through referrals and word of mouth. Once you have a few options, there are some key questions you can ask to help determine the firm that will be the best fit for you and your… Continue Reading
Choice Overload: How Do I Pick a Trademark Attorney? (Part 1)
With all this talk about choosing a name, conducting a clearance search, and understanding the risks involved in trademark registration, I can only imagine how confusing it must all be for the first-time solopreneur. Some things are best left to the experts. Just like you should probably visit a mechanic to fix your car’s transmission,… Continue Reading
Trademark Myths: How to Conduct a Trademark Search
If you’re reading this, chances are I didn’t scare (or bore) you away from the first three posts of this four-part series. You’re a brave soul. Or maybe just really dedicated to ensuring you go about the naming process correctly. You’ve learned about the importance of assessing similarity in marks, why you can’t register a… Continue Reading
Trademark Myths: Can that Name Pass a Trademark Search
Welcome back. If you’re following along, you have determined now that company names, as well as names for products, services, etc., are protected by trademark law. You also know that merely registering with the Secretary of State is not enough to protect your name. So how do you know if you have the right to… Continue Reading
The Courage to Say No to a Bad Fit Client
Warning Signs of a Bad Fit Last year I was referred to a prospective client I’ll call Rich who “desperately” (according to him) needed monthly accounting help. He is the franchisee of a pretty established home services company, and his business was taking off, and he couldn’t keep up with the bookkeeping. Further, he had… Continue Reading
Trademark Myths: I can register a famous name in a different category
Part Two in Our Four-Part Myth-Buster Series In our last post, we began a four-part series on dispelling common myths about determining whether a business has the right to use the name it has chosen. We started with an example about Starbucks and its famous green lettering and logo to illustrate the concept of confusing… Continue Reading
Trademark Myths: How do I know if I have the right to use the name I chose?
A four-part myth-buster series Welcome back. If you’re following my posts, you have determined now that company names, as well as names for products, services, etc., are protected by trademark law. You also know that merely registering with the Secretary of State is not enough to protect your name. So how do you know if… Continue Reading
Five Legal Mistakes Every Solopreneur Should Avoid
Let’s face it. Doing what we love is easy. Our ideas seem limitless and opportunities appear to be without boundaries. We feel the same way about ourselves, and we surround ourselves by people who believe the same thing. However, the business of what we love is hard. At the intersection of “what can be” and… Continue Reading
