When building a business, protecting your brand identity is essential. Two key legal tools for this protection are trademarks and service marks. While both serve to protect the uniqueness of your brand, they apply to different aspects of commerce. Understanding the distinction between the two can help you properly protect your intellectual property and avoid potential legal issues. Trademarks (TM) …
A trademark is a form of intellectual property that helps distinguish a business’s goods or services from those of others. Trademarks can be words, phrases, symbols, designs, or a combination of these elements that represent a brand. Trademarks provide legal protection, helping business owners ensure that only they have the exclusive right to use the mark in connection with their …
If you’re thinking of starting a business (or already have a business in the works), make sure that the name you use is not already taken. Original names are essential for three reasons: marketing power, clarity, and trademark infringement avoidance. For example, if you’ve decided to open a coffee shop, it’s fairly easy to determine that the name “Starbucks” is …
Yesterday I had an opportunity to talk about being an agriculture lawyer to an undergraduate agriculture careers class in Wisconsin via Skype. I remember being that age and not really knowing what I wanted to do. To tell you the truth, I grew up looking up to Colleen Callahan and wanted to *be* her…with a career in agriculture journalism/communications. For …
I’m excited for my new webinar series titled “Fridays with Cari.” I will be discussing a variety of agriculture issues with my Friday webinar series ranging from livestock animal cruelty law to estate planning. I believe that legal information should be affordable for everyone in the food and agriculture industry and I hope that my webinars will be educational to …
I have two very exciting announcements today. First, this month’s ABA Journal has an article on yours truly! You can read the full article here. I’m very proud to be one of the few cowgirls in NYC (and I think the only agriculture attorney). Thank you to all my family, friends, colleagues, support staff, “ag tweeps” and regular blog readers …