Helping Your Business Thrive
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in business, it can be a real issue. There are few things as frustrating as discovering that a rival firm is copying your branding and ideas. When faced with a situation like this, what are your options?...
If you have come up with a unique invention that you plan on manufacturing, distributing and selling, then you should have some kind of way to protect it from being used without your permission. With the use of a patent, you can secure the rights to your invention. A...
Tortious interference occurs when a company or individual interferes with a competitor's contractual obligations or commercial connections. This can have a detrimental effect on the competitor's financial health. Tortious interference obstructs a contractor's ability...
You just have to look at Coke vs. Pepsi to realize that a little healthy competition can actually be great for business. Unfortunately, not every company sees things that way, and predatory pricing can undermine fair competition. That is unhealthy for a market-based...
Not long ago, we told readers that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final rule that was scheduled to take effect later this year. It would go a long way toward prohibiting employers throughout the country from requiring employees to sign non-compete...
Typically, an employee can’t trademark, patent or copyright anything they create for their employer. They can’t profit from this work beyond their compensation from that employer. All intellectual property rights for those ideas, creations or inventions belong to the...
When you started your business partnership, you were smart enough to get a written agreement into place. Written partnership agreements can make sure that partners are on the same page and circumvent a lot of potential problems. However, all relationships evolve over...
Things are good with your company despite a somewhat shaky economy. You have a strong brand and have long passed the start-up phase of your business. All in all, things are looking good. But could they be too good? Often, it’s at this point where smaller businesses...
A noncompete agreement says that an employee has to stay with the company where they are employed. If they decide to quit, which they do have a right to do, they can’t immediately join the direct competition. The agreement will likely also say that they can’t start a...
Deciding whether to file a provisional patent application is an important step for inventors who are looking to protect their innovations while their non-provisional (final) patent application is being prepared. A provisional patent application offers a...