Applying for a patent can be complex and time-consuming. People who aren’t familiar with the process can run into hurdles that lead to delays and higher costs.
If you’re thinking about applying for a patent, here are a few important questions to consider. Keep in mind, this is a high-level overview and shouldn’t be construed as legal advice. If you are looking for advice, please call us at 408-441-7500 today.
Does my product or idea qualify for a patent?
Reputation can help make or break a startup. Startups rely upon a positive reputation to grow, develop, and maintain a strong customer base. Glowing reviews help startups strengthen their brand equity; at the same time, they help support and influence a customer’s decision to use the startup’s product or service.
A startup that develops a negative reputation will not have the same luck. Customers that leave negative reviews weaken the perceived value of the startup’s product or service. Potential future customers may find themselves less inclined to use the product or service as a result of negative reviews. Too many potential reviews could spell a startup’s demise.
Startups want to succeed. Whether the ultimate goal is to grow and expand or to be bought out, startups want to ensure that their success is not derailed through customer disparagement. In order to combat potential negative reputation, some startups began including non-disparagement clauses in their purchase or licensing agreements.
A corporate merger is a transaction in which two or more companies combine to form one entity. Due to the complexity of merger transactions, it is highly recommended that anyone contemplating entering into such a transaction retain legal counsel. Here are three examples of how an attorney can assist in a corporate merger.
An attorney will structure the way that a transaction occurs
Mergers can occur in a variety of ways such as a reverse merger, horizontal merger or vertical merger with consideration being made with stock, cash, a combination of both and other variations. Each of these merger structures have various legal and tax implications that are often significant. For this reason, the advice of a skilled attorney is critical to structuring a merger transaction in the most beneficial way possible.
Starting a business entity is a complicated issue that can be compounded by things such as founder’s stock and each founder’s respective contribution. Equity considerations can be extremely important in starting a business, especially when one founder contributes intellectual property (IP) rather than cash or labor.
What is Founder’s Stock?
Awarding a company founder stock is a relatively common practice in business formation, particularly in situations in which a startup is new and not yet generating income. Doing so gives the contributing founder a measurable property interest in the newly formed entity. Typically, these stocks have a very low face value so that the founder receives a large amount of stock respective to his or her contribution.
Enforceable contracts that accurately describe an agreement between the parties are essential to any business, regardless of industry. Contracts arise in many relationships, including with partners, businesses, suppliers, employees, and client or customers, and a company of even moderate size could easily have thousands of contracts with various parties. For this reason, implementing a system to manage contracts and ensure compliance can significantly improve efficiency, improve compliance, and reduce the risk of incurring legal liability that can arise from contract disputes. In addition, an effective contract management system can help automate certain tasks, significantly reducing the risk of human error resulting in a costly dispute. Below are 4 ways in which implementing a contract management system can help businesses in every aspect of the contract lifecycle management process.
According to IT research and advisory firm Gartner, worldwide software revenue totaled $407.3 billion in 2013. More and more players are trying to break into the software market, and the ease of delivery through the Internet has significantly lowered the barrier for entry for many smaller companies. Two of the main ways of delivering software to consumers are (1) licensing the software to the consumer for download on a device and (2) providing it as a subscription service through the cloud. Below is some basic information regarding these two models and the ways in which they differ.
For more information, contact the Structure Law Group to discuss your situation with one of our San Jose business law attorneys.
Software Licensing
The term “intellectual property,” or “IP,” refers to intangible property that is the creation of a person’s mind. IP is given certain aspects of property rights by law. One way of looking at IP, is that it is the property right one possesses in information. McCarthy’s Encyclopedia of Intellectual Property defines “intellectual property as “an all-encompassing term used to designate as a group all of the following fields of law: patent, trademark, unfair competition, copyright, trade secret, moral rights, and the right of publicity.” For example, moral rights, also called the right of attribution, require that I attribute the quoted language to its source. Otherwise, I would not only be guilty of plagiarism, but also copyright infringement.
While intangible, intellectual property can be extremely valuable and in some cases may be a company’s sole asset. Some examples of the types of intellectual property that often has significant value include software code, techniques of manufacture, client lists, artistic works, works of authorship and formulas. For example, the Google search-engine algorithm and the recipe for Coca-Cola are each valuable forms of IP, the former being protected by a patent and the latter as a trade secret.
Intellectual property can be legally protected in several ways, including the use of legal instruments such as patents, copyrights, or trademarks. This area of law can be extremely complicated, so it is important for anyone seeking to protect their IP to discuss their options with an experienced attorney.
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