News & Insights

While many business owners know what a trademark (or “mark”) is, they may not know what the benefits of obtaining a federal registration are. This FAQ discusses the benefits of federal trademark registration.

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In the age of instant communication, it’s not easy to protect business ideas. Depending on what kind of information is accessible to others, there are several options available to protect business ideas from being stolen or copied by third parties. If you want to ensure that your business partners or employees do not misappropriate or share important business ideas or information with others, your best bet may be to create an employment agreement/independent contractor agreement and/or a non-disclosure or non-compete agreement that includes certain confidentiality obligations and restrictive covenants in them.

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An NDA is a binding agreement between two (or more) parties that obligates a party or parties to maintain confidentiality. The confidentiality obligations can be mutual or uni-directional (one-way). Other provisions include exceptions to confidentiality, how long the obligations last, and what happens if someone breaches their obligations. It is a widely used document and something many startups and small businesses will come across at least once. This document should be in your files and ready to use with prospective business partners, vendors, contractors, employees, and others if necessary.  

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One of the questions entrepreneurs and startup founders ask us the most is, “Why do so many startups incorporate in Delaware?” As co-founders or business partner(s) sit around a table and discuss the best ways to bring their startup to life, one of the topics that usually pops up (or should pop up) is entity formation. The typical entity of choice is a Delaware C-corp.

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For startups, raising money at the seed stage can be difficult, but this is probably when your business needs money the most. If your startup finds a venture capitalist (“VC”) or angel investor (“Angel”) willing to invest in your startup at the seed-stage, you should avoid these four common seed-stage pitfalls that can derail the deal. The Brown & Blaier, PC can ensure that you remain in compliance with state, federal laws while you seek funding for your startup at the seed stage and beyond.

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Your brand is valuable. Protecting your brand with a registered trademark is important to maximize your brand awareness and protecting consumers from inferior impostors. However, if you fail to enforce your trademark rights when they are violated, you risk losing your brand name to genericide. Protecting your brand from the beginning is essential.

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