No. In fact, with the U.S. moving to a first to file system, I would recommend filing early and often.

I entered a recipe contest & the company published a very similar recipe on its website. Have I been wronged?

I very much agree that you probably don't have any legal remedies. In fact, by submitting your recipe for the contest you may well have...

Would this be copyright infringement?

As attorneys we cannot give you a clearance opinion on any specific facts for liability reasons. If what you would like is some comfort that what...

If a tv company used a name i have copy written how can i be compensated

You should speak with an attorney if you are looking for compensation. I have seen people try to seek compensation on their own without a lawyer...

An agent asked for the manuscript of my book. Should I copyright it before sending, and if so, how can I do this?

I have read that the insiders in the publishing industry look down upon writers who register their copyrights as a manuscript rather than when it...

How to protect an idea that is not applied yet?

The only thing you can do to protect "your" idea is to keep it secret while you work on it. But understand that you seem to recognize that others...

Copyright Infringement

Your question is far too fact specific to answer here. Your question is like asking what is the difference between good art and bad art. You just...

These are definitely questions you need to ask a TDS attorney. Given that the attorney is free, you have no excuse not to go talk with...

I agree with Mr. Ballard. The exclusive rights held by a copyright owner do not include the right to view the copyrighted work. So you don't...

Trademark cancellation procedure

You need to hire a lawyer or you are going to lose your mark. If you don't want to hire a lawyer, then it doesn't sound like your mark is very...