How to protect, copywrite, or patent a improvement to a product?

I wrote an Avvo Legal Guide entitled Intellectual Property Protection for the Individual Inventor that provides more than we can go through in Avvo...

Do I need to observe an IP license agreement that I am not a part of, for the products I sell?

It's too hard to say from those limited facts and there are probably legal theories going both ways: consider these opposites (1) under first...

The subject matter of an expired patent is in the public domain -- but it would be unusual for a straight up card game to be the subject of a...

How many contracts can there be between a client and a sub-consultant?

It depends on what the contract says. If you imagine there are two (or more) separate contracts, then what happens if they are inconsistent? ...

You will have to prove they had access to your works.

While merely de minimis sales (Christian Faith Fellowship v. Adidas AG, 841 F.3d 986 (Fed. Cir. Nov. 14, 2016)) is not a reason to decide there...

If my industry growth is largely centered in California, must I file both a state and federal to protect my trademark?

I wrote an Avvo guide called "There Are More than a Dozen Advantages in having a U.S. Federal Trademark Registration." About the only reason to...

Can someone film a music video on the property of our hotel without written consent?

If it was a guest, the first place to look is what is in writing in whatever documents are provided to a guest. There may or may not be express or...

Can I add a word to a registered word mark without infringing upon it?

Trademark hypotheticals don't work. The actual marks and goods are essential as is the presence of third party use.

It depends on why you own it. If you knew of them and registered to block them or sell to them you might be guilty of cybersquatting. If there's...