Lot's of good information in the other answers you received. I would just add that setting up your business will depend on the state you are in...

In other words, to summarize the previous answers, there are many important details that should only be discussed with an attorney confidentially. ...

In general, you are correct. A public domain name, like a greek god, can't be owned by a single company. You could also have character named...

You are wise to seek good advice. This forum can provide general pointers, as well as an introduction to attorneys practicing in this area of law....

Right off the bat, the issue of design patent infringement will be best answered by an experienced patent attorney and will be very dependent on...

What you describe sounds perfectly ok. Copyright protects the way ideas are expressed in the book you are describing. Copyright does not protect...

This is probably not a copyright issue since using a product in a movie doesn't give the movie company rights to the product. You see cars,...

The previous two covered the basics well. I would just add a couple more comments. Once the application is filed and assigned to a patent...

The patent has a list of numbered claims at the end of it. Starting with claim 1, you compare the infringing product or method with each claim. ...

These are all great answers on searching for prior art or for patentability. For cheap DIY searching, I like google/patents and espacenet.com...