In Virginia, can new owners of a business arbitrarily change the terms of the contract you had with the previous management

Do you have a written agreement with the prior company? If so, that agreement would normally control. If the new owner assumed the old contract...

How long can I stall my own trademark application?

There are a limited number of circumstances under which you can request that the PTO suspend an application, which can be granted for "reasonable...

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Could I sell a picture that I drew based on a very old painting/picture of say someone from the 1500?

When the previous posters say "be careful" they mean that you should make sure that the painting you want to copy is no longer subject to...

Can this person publish a report based on my proposal?

From a strict copyright perspective, there's no copyright violation if the report writer does not actually copy substantial portions of your...

Trademarks identify the provider of goods or services. As a general matter, a trademark must be a name or image (though in some cases sounds or...

How can a new patent be approved if it infringes on a existing patent?

The two gentleman before me have covered this pretty well, but one point bears emphasis: a patent does not give the holder the right to make...

If I have a phrase I would like to market to certain entities should I copyright it or trademark it?

If the phrase is to be used on products and the marketing of goods, it would be a trademark. The only way to protect a mark that you are not yet...

I purchased a house on on Oct 5, 2009. The land lord says I must pay rent til my lease ends June 2010? Can I give notice/move?

The termination provisions of your lease will determine what you can and can't do in terms of "breaking" the lease. You haven't provided any...

In Virginia can a couple of the same sex simply share a last name? will they allow it?

Ordinarily, a name change (as opposed to a marriage or an adoption) does not change a person's rights or relationships with others, and name...

I am being sued by creditor

You don't say whether you are being sued in Circuit Court or General District Court. It sounds as though you have a return date for a case in...