Questions like this cannot be answered without reading the contract. It is likely that a contract would say that the tape recording does not matter. The contract might actually have a clause saying where suit must be brought. Your payback and late fees are not the same as most notes in California.... View More

You can register a business in California as a foreign corporation. However, It seems as though you would need to set up a new corporation in California to use the new form of entity. It is possible that you would want to set up a PBC. That is a not-for-profit entity. A more recent form of entity... View More

To the extent that the question lays out facts, it appears that you created the images as part of your employment. There is a good chance that the employer owns the copyright in the images. You may wish to ask the employer if you can use the images along with an acknowledgement of the... View More

There are many legal issues: copyright, trade secrets, right of publicity, and contracts for openers. One very good tool is a consulting services agreement with each drum teacher. This will do a great deal to assure that you and the drum teacher both understand what rights you will and will not... View More

Just about the only reason it would not be considered copyright infringement is because it would appear to be trademark infringement. If there is a likelihood that you would create confusion as to the source of the goods, there is a likelihood that Samsung would be quite unhappy. It would not be... View More

It depends on what the claims of your patent recite. See if they describe the other item. Is there a corresponding product? If this answer is not clear to you, it is unlikely that you will be able to address this without consulting a patent attorney.

See the disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

This is a copyright and trade secret question. A trademark is a brand name.

Copyrights generally do not protect ideas. The protection is for particular forms of expression. There is a doctrine called "scenes a faire." These are general situations that are not unique in life.... View More

Under many circumstances, formation of an LLC will protect a member from personal liability for judgments against the LLC. However, there are many grounds on which an LLC member can be held personally liable. For example, not being qualified to do business in a US state or a European country is one... View More

It is possible to have ownership in a design you pay for. A "work for hire" is owned by the entity that pays for the work. However, that is not the only way to own the work. For example, you can have ownership transferred to you by contract. When the copyright registration application is... View More

If you have found "emoji" registered as a trademark, it should be treated as such. There are many dictionary words that are common, e.g., windows, apple, and Tesla. Context makes a huge difference. Use of a trademark in a manner that will cause a likelihood of confusion in the marketplace... View More

You can work with an intellectual property attorney to develop a package before you contact companies that seek licensing deals for intellectual property owners.

The most significant consideration may be Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. OSHA covers most private sector employers and their workers in all 50 states. Spray painting is hazardous to employees' health. OHSA has regulations relating to spray painting operations... View More

Generally, the rights of minority shareholders cannot be ignored. The minority shareholders could claim you never contacted them. Have you actually contacted them in a way in which you can document a non-response? At a minimum, certified mail - return receipt requested should be used.

I do not know if there is a best online service. It depends on your objective. If you want "cheap", you will find it. If you go to an attorney, you can get advice on strategy for best protecting your market An attorney can help make a selection for protecting combined word and design... View More

The provisional patent application should belong to the company. The provisional patent application is part of the property to distribute much like the corporation's chairs and subscriptions. Provisional patent applications expire after a year. They are not published. In effect, they just go... View More

There is already an excellent legal analysis above. As a practical matter, if the hypothetical person knew it could be money laundering, it would be pretty hard to come up with an excuse as to why he or she acted innocently. Did the person get compensated? Was the deposit large? It is reasonably... View More

Under Title 18 of the United States code, the Federal criminal code,“minor” means any person under the age of eighteen years. Under the California criminal code, possession of child porn relates to a representation of a child who is under 18. The statutes do not discuss the roles played by the... View More

California is a "community property" state. There are detailed rules that determine which spouse owns what. Property may be separate property or community property. There is a possibility that you may share in your spouse's ownership interest in the business. Your question does not... View More

Patents are awarded for new, useful and non-obvious inventions. At the end of the patent, there are run-on sentences called claims. The attorney and the patent examiner work out an understanding of how many distinctions must be recited in the claims in order to merit award of a patent. To determine... View More

A trademark functions to identify the source of the goods. It is a brand name. A design of a t-shirt might not be a band name. The Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure states, "Subject matter that is merely a decorative feature does not identify and distinguish the applicant’s goods and,... View More