If you sell a product on Amazon, protecting your brand can be just as important as protecting the product itself. A successful product attracts attention. As customers buy your product, leave reviews, recommend it to others, and search for it by name, the brand behind the product gains value. Unfortunately, success can also attract copycats who want to benefit from … Read More
Is My Idea Developed Enough to File a Patent Application?
Every invention starts with an idea. You recognize a problem, imagine a better way to do something, or see an opportunity that others have overlooked. But how much development does that idea need before you can file a patent application? You do not necessarily need a finished product. But you do need to understand your invention well enough to explain … Read More
How to Protect a Card Game with Copyright and Trademark Law
Developing a new card game can require a surprising amount of work. A creator may spend months developing the rules, balancing the game, designing cards and artwork, writing instructions, testing different versions, and building a name around the finished product. Practicing here in Las Vegas, I have dealt with this issue more times than I can count. I have worked … Read More
Labor Day and the Work Behind Creating Something New
Labor Day may mark the unofficial end of summer, but here in Las Vegas, summer usually has other plans. The holiday gives some of us an opportunity to step away from work for a day. For others, the three-day weekend means three very busy days of work. I like to look at Labor Day as a chance to recognize the … Read More
Working With Inventors Wherever They Are
Like most people, I did not expect my professional life to change almost overnight in 2020. Before COVID, meeting with a client usually meant sitting together in an office or conference room. Then everything closed. In-person meetings became impossible, and we all had to find new ways to work. I went through that adjustment along with everyone else. At first, … Read More
The 10 Biggest Mistakes Independent Inventors Make (And How to Avoid Them)
Every successful invention begins with an idea, but turning that idea into a valuable asset requires more than creativity. Independent inventors often invest significant amounts of time, money, and effort into developing something new, only to discover that a preventable mistake has weakened their legal rights or slowed their progress. Fortunately, many of these mistakes can be avoided with proper … Read More
Why Inventors Should Keep an Inventor’s Notebook
Inventors often think about patents in terms of ideas. They imagine the product, the device, the system, the software, or the improvement they want to protect. Patent law, though, does not reward vague ideas. It rewards inventions that the application describes, claims, enables, and distinguishes from the prior art. That is where records matter. A well-kept inventor’s notebook can become … Read More
What Is a Trade Secret? A Guide for Independent Inventors and Entrepreneurs
Every successful business possesses information that provides a competitive advantage. Sometimes that advantage comes from a patent. Sometimes it comes from a recognizable trademark. In many cases, however, the most valuable asset never appears in a patent application or a trademark registration. It remains a trade secret. Trade secrets protect confidential business information that derives value from remaining secret. Unlike … Read More
Celebrating 250 Years of American Innovation
As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, Independence Day is a time to reflect on American innovation. For 250 years, inventors, entrepreneurs, and builders have turned ideas into reality. Their work has improved lives, strengthened our economy, and helped shape the modern world. Innovation has always been part of the American story. The United States patent system encourages inventors to … Read More
What Are Trademark Classes?
Many entrepreneurs focus on the trademark they want to protect. They spend time choosing a business name, product name, logo, or slogan. Then they discover that every trademark application requires them to identify specific goods or services associated with the mark. This is where trademark classes come into play. Trademark classes help organize trademark applications and registrations. They provide a … Read More