Category: Legal/Accounting
Lessons in Trademark Protection from Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Celebrity babies are big business, there’s no question about that. This, coupled with Jay-Z’s demonstrated business acumen, makes it no surprise that Hova and Beyoncé filed just a few weeks ago to register “Blue Ivy Carter” as a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This would be enough to make headlines [...]
Why You Can’t Say “Super Bowl” (But I Can)
Usually this time of year you’ll see at least one or two stories about the big bad NFL supposedly overreaching to enforce its trademark rights in the term “Super Bowl”. The typical story goes something like this: Jack’s Retail Outlet was shocked and dismayed when it received a cease-and-desist letter from the NFL demanding that [...]
4 Things You NEED to Do in 2012
As other articles on Under30CEO.com focus on how to build your business and live your dream in 2012, this article takes a look at what needs to go on behind the scenes in order for things to go according to plan. Building a company with staying power requires proactive measures to make sure the company’s [...]
Small Business Owners: Are You Minimizing Your Audit Risk?
Starting a new business is very exciting, but also quite an intimidating undertaking. There is a seemingly endless list of factors that need to be considered including, location, employees, quality control, just to name a few. And yet there is another concern that is often overlooked – audit risk. The fact is that business owners [...]
Brands in the 2012 BCS Championship
Alabama’s dominance in the BCS title game means more than just a national championship. Undoubtedly, merchandise sales, sponsorship and endorsement opportunities and other income opportunities will be on the rise as a result of the Crimson Tide’s dismantling of their conference rival. Of course, as conference champions and perennial title contenders, I’m sure LSU has [...]
New Year’s Resolutions for Developing a Strong Brand Presence in 2012
New Year’s resolutions typically involve committing to something you couldn’t will yourself to do in the past. But, most entrepreneurs that I’ve met enjoy working to build their brands—brainstorming the perfect, simple yet highly-effective name, and working the pavement and social media to spread awareness and gain a loyal following. Alas, this article focuses on [...]
Top 5 Trademark Disputes of 2011
The year 2011 saw several interesting brand disputes come and go. From Twitter protecting its “Tweet” trademark to Christian Louboutin potentially losing its bid to prevent other designers from creating red-soled shoes, these cases provided several important bits of insight for business owners and entrepreneurs. 1. Twitter vs. Twittad In October 2011, Twitter made headlines for [...]
Choosing a New Trademark without Getting Into Trouble
When choosing a new brand name or logo, entrepreneurs have a tendency to focus on the creative end, and then plow ahead without contemplating the potential ramifications of their actions. This is understandable—the brand is the public face of what you’ve determined to be the next great thing. You’ve got a poignant or creative or [...]
Brand Matters: Trademarks 101 – The Legal Side of Branding
In my last post I discussed some of the key considerations for preparing to submit a trademark registration application to the USPTO. In this article we take a step back, and clarify what exactly can (and cannot) be protected as a trademark. What is a Trademark? In broad terms, a “trademark” is the market identify [...]
Brand Matters: Guide to Efficient Trademark Registration Applications
Most entrepreneurs and business owners generally understand the concept that applying for trademark registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an important step toward building the business and protecting its image and goodwill. However, at least in my experience, these same people also tend to have certain common questions and misconceptions [...]
