When most business owners think of trademarks, they think of a single logo or brand name. But if you’re building a serious business, you need more than one trademark. You need a portfolio. Why? Because your intellectual property is more than just a name. It’s your brand’s identity, your competitive edge, and eventually, your leverage […]
October 23, 2025
How the U.S. Department of Labor’s New Rule Redraws the Line—and What It Means for Your Workforce 1. Background: Why worker status keeps shifting The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guarantees minimum wage and overtime only to employees. Independent contractors generally receive none of those protections, which means classification errors expose companies to back wages, […]
October 6, 2025
Why licensing matters right now Whether you’re letting a creator use your trademark on limited-edition merch, bundling an API into a SaaS partner’s platform, or selling streaming rights for short-form video, licensing is the fastest way to monetize intellectual property without building new infrastructure. The market shows it: global brand-licensing revenue jumped 11 % in […]
September 24, 2025
You’ve picked a name, designed a logo, locked down the Instagram handle, and maybe even ordered your packaging. Your brand is finally coming to life. But here’s the catch: just because you own your visual assets doesn’t mean you legally control them. In today’s digital world, brand identity and intellectual property go hand in hand. […]
September 18, 2025
You’ve picked your hero ingredients. Your packaging is dreamy. You’ve already imagined what the unboxing videos will look like. But there’s one thing many skincare founders overlook—legal protection. In the beauty world, where trends move fast and competition is fierce, the brands that last aren’t just innovative. They’re prepared. Here’s what to do before your […]
September 11, 2025
Yes, You Can Trademark a Shade Name—But Only If It’s Distinctive In order for any name to qualify for trademark protection, it must identify the source of the product, not just describe the product itself. So if you’re naming your lipstick “Soft Red” or “Coral Nude,” it’s probably too generic or descriptive to qualify. But […]
August 25, 2025
1. The problem with the billable hour (from a CFO’s desk) A decade ago, paying counsel “by the six-minute increment” felt tolerable because legal needs were episodic—an acquisition here, a lawsuit there. Today, regulatory change, data-privacy rollouts, and perpetual contract flow make legal work continuous. Billable hours turn that continuity into budgeting whiplash: A 2024 […]
August 4, 2025
Collabs and influencer partnerships have become a go-to growth tool for beauty brands. Whether it’s a co-branded product drop, affiliate campaign, or exclusive launch party, partnerships can build major buzz. But here’s the part many founders overlook: a beauty collab is not just a vibe—it’s a business deal. Without a clear contract in place, even […]
July 22, 2025
1. Why founders should care about the dossier long before the term sheet Over the past two years early-stage investors have stretched their diligence cycles: partners who once moved in weeks are now combing through data rooms for months. TechCrunch notes that Series A firms “are still taking longer to do due diligence and are […]
July 9, 2025
How to Protect Your Internal Training Manuals, Videos, and Slide Decks 1. Why this question matters You’ve spent months creating onboarding videos, an SOP playbook, and a library of “secret-sauce” templates that make new hires productive in days instead of weeks. Those materials are valuable IP—but what’s the smartest legal wrapper? Two tools dominate the […]
June 25, 2025
