Archive for 'Legal'

What’s the Difference Between Patents & Trade Secrets?

What’s the Difference Between Patents & Trade Secrets?

Posted on 22. Jun, 2009 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein.

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Patents and trade secrets are two different methods to protect the valuable inventions of a business.  Now while many of the small business owner readers of this blog typically don’t deal with these issues, if you have invented a product or method (of doing business or creating a product) you should consider if and how [...]

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Did You Get a Nasty-Gram? What to do if accused of trademark or copyright infringement

Did You Get a Nasty-Gram? What to do if accused of trademark or copyright infringement

Posted on 18. May, 2009 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein.

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Did you just get a nasty-gram email or letter accusing you of stealing someone’s copyrighted work?
A cold letter from a lawyer that you are violating another company’s trademarked name or phrase?
Don’t freak out. But also don’t hide your head in the sand because you have some decisions to make under strict deadlines.
First, you need [...]

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Do You Want Employees or Independent Contractors?

Posted on 29. Apr, 2009 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein.

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The simplest way to save on paying payroll taxes and to simplify your filing and paperwork is to not have employees.  Instead, you pay independent contractors (a higher hourly rate) to do the same work. Warning — this strategy does not work for all businesses.  In some industries, closely managed employees are the only practical [...]

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Top 10 Money Mistakes: Protecting From Really Bad Stuff. And Lawyers.

Posted on 03. Mar, 2009 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein.

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 Continuing in our Top 10 Money Mistakes series, in this post we are discussing two holes many people have in their “risk management” (insurance) portfolio:  liability insurance, and earthquake/flood/hurricane insurance.  Fun, fun, I know, but in both cases you must be aware of the ramifications of the insurance choices you are making right now, and [...]

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Should Your Small Business Be Incorporated?

Posted on 02. Feb, 2009 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein.

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We all have heard the recommendation that we should incorporate our business so we get the benefits of limited liability.  But what does that mean, and how does it work?   Does that apply to every business?
The principle behind forming a separate legal entity for your business is to take the risks and liabilities (debts) [...]

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Who’s Watching Your Risk?

Posted on 21. Jan, 2009 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein.

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 We are all exposed to risk in our personal and business life, even if we attempt to avoid risk.  Risk includes everything from your house burning down, to being sued for negligence, to getting ill … and no amount of conservatism will get rid of all risk.  This risk puts our assets, our income, our [...]

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Are You Drowning Under Piles of Paper?

Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein.

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Modern families can accumulate a large amount of paper and information, similar to a mini-corporation.  The management of these records can overwhelm and frustrate many people, resulting in disorganized, voluminous files, and the inability to locate important information when it is needed.  The following series of questions & answers addresses issues families may face in [...]

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