Some small business owners may have some confusion about when they may use the registered trademark symbol, or even what the registered trademark symbol is; so, what is it and when can you use it? Here's the quick and dirty: you can begin using a superscript TM (that's the floating TM at the end of a word, logo, etc.) when you have an intent to claim a trademark on the word, logo or whatever it is that you intend to Read More
To Trademark or Not to Trademark Your Small Business Name
Although a trademark can be an essential element of your small business assets, is it really necessary? I have clients that get advice from people that ends up to be all over the map. The reality is that if you want to file for a trademark, sooner is typically better than later. This is for the simple fact that if you wait until your brand becomes wildly popular before perfecting your mark, you may be in a Read More
Is Trademark Registration Required to Protect Your Business Name?
In short, a trademark registration is not required, but is often helpful in your quest to protect your brand. A trademark can be obtained for a word, a phrase or a design, think logo, that is unique to your product or service and identifies that product or service as associated with your business. In the United States, you automatically get protection when you use a word, phrase or design that is used in connection Read More
Will a Trademark Protect Your Business?
When is the right time to trademark your business name? You worked long and hard to come up with a catchy name for your business, now how do you protect it? Perfecting a trademark can be an important part of your asset and intellectual property portfolio. As your business grows and you become more well known, your protections will become more and more important. These protections can lie in many areas including Read More
Is an S-Corporation Right for My California Business?
An S-Corporation is a form of corporation that operates with many more restrictions than a traditional C-Corporation. Like a Corporation, a California S-Corporation generally provides liability protection to its shareholders, however, to determine the shareholder liability for debts of the business you should look to the underlying entity, which can be a Limited Liability Company or a Partnership, for Read More
Is a Corporation (or C-Corporation) Right for My California Business?
When you think of a corporation you undoubtedly think of a company like Google or Apple. These are both fine examples of corporations but you don't have to be the size and stature of one of these corporations that are household names in order to be a prime candidate to form a corporation. Corporations can be C-Corporations, like Google is and is what we usually think of when we think of corporations, or can be Read More
Why Might I Need a California Limited Liability Partnership or LLP?
A California Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) is a form of partnership that, in California, can only be used by certain licensed professionals, specifically doctors, lawyers and architects. Registration Before registering a Limited Liability Partnership, with the California Secretary of State, you should be sure that no other Limited Liability Partnerships by the same name exist in California. After you have Read More
