If your ultimate goal is to sell your company, you want to focus a bit on your company value. This blog will help with some tips to increase your company’s value. How is Company Value Calculated? Although there is no set rule on calculating company value, conceptually, they’re all basically the same. Ultimately, the […]
Intellectual Property Value: Increasing Your Company Value
The sale price of your company increases or decreases with your intellectual property value. This is the price someone would pay specifically for your intellectual property. What is Intellectual Property? Intellectual property (IP) is one realm of property. It includes copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and sometimes goodwill. We’ve covered copyrights and trademarks in […]
Temporary Emergency Video Notarization
Edit as of 7/2/2020: The Emergency Video Notarization has been extended until March 1, 2021. This is part of the House Bill 308: AN ACT TO PROVIDE FURTHER REGULATORY RELIEF TO THE CITIZENS OF NORTH CAROLINA. Text of this bill: https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2019/Bills/House/PDF/H308v7.pdf Part of Senate Bill 704 included a provision allowing the emergency authorization for all […]
Logos: Trademark or Copyright?
When it comes to logos, you can register a copyright, trademark, or both. For the purpose of this article, logos are graphical depictions symbolizing a company. What is a Copyright? A copyright is a legal device that gives the holder the right to decide how, who, and when the copyrighted content is used. There are […]
What Should I Copyright?
What Should I Copyright? Fortunately, we have a simple analysis we like to employ to determine whether something should be registered. What is a Copyright? A copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects from the unauthorized use of creative content. Your creative content can range from a logo to series of videos. […]
Should I Trademark My Company Name?
Should I trademark my company name? Unfortunately, the answer is not a simple one. What is a Trademark? A trademark is a unique piece of intellectual property used for the purpose of defending your brand and goodwill. We’ve written a few blogs on this topic before. Trademarks can be a word, series of words, […]
Avoiding Copyright Infringement on the Internet
Copyright Infringement has become a nuisance for small business owners. It’s not because small business owners never do anything wrong. It is because a small mistake can result in massive consequences. What is a Copyright? A copyright is a legal device that gives the holder the right to decide how, who, and when the […]
Registered Copyright: Cheat Sheet for Registration
A Registered Copyright is a valuable piece of intellectual property. What is a Copyright? A copyright is a legal device that gives the holder the right to decide how, who, and when the copyrighted content is used. There are two types of copyright: common law and registered. The common law copyright is automatic. That […]
Annual Report
Every year, the NC Secretary of State office requires businesses to file an Annual Report to maintain their active status. Fortunately, companies do not need to file their first year in existence. In North Carolina, the entity tasked with overseeing and regulating businesses is the Office of the Secretary of State, by authority of NCGS […]
Work Made for Hire: Employees
Work made for hire is an important consideration in companies with employees. This is an area of law dealing with copyrights Copyright Anytime a person creates something creative, he or she automatically gains a copyright over that content. However, there are a few exceptions to that rule. Work made for hire is one of […]
Your First Hire: Legal Steps
Your first hire is a scary step for any company. It comes with a lot of logistical challenges. Additionally, there are a lot of legal requirements that you have to follow or suffer hefty fines. What is a First Hire? A first hire is anytime you go from 0 employees to more than 0 […]
Your First Hire: How to be Ready
Your first hire is a scary moment in your company’s life. However, if you prepare properly, you can remove a lot of risk. What is a First Hire? It isn’t a dumb question. A first hire is anytime you go from 0 employees to more than 0 employees. These employees can be part-time or […]