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The Biggest Trademark Fail of All Time? By: M. Zane Johnson, Esq In 2014, an Indiana based company spent an estimated $50,000 trying to register 152 trademarks. But in just a few years, every single one of those applications had been denied. How did this happen? And was this the greatest trademark fail of all time? Let’s examine the legend ...

Working with an Attorney on a Shoestring Budget By: M. Zane Johnson, Esq. The other day I was reading about a Rocket Lawyer survey that found that less than a third of small business owners worked with a lawyer in the past year. As the founder of a small business law firm, these numbers are disappointing. However, they aren’t surprising. ...

The Truth About Owning Nothing and Controlling Everything By: M. Zane Johnson, Esq. “Own Nothing, and Control Everything.” If you follow popular entrepreneur influencers on social media, you’ve probably encountered this phrase. It refers to the idea that, as a business owner,  the best way to preserve your wealth is through the use of business structures that remove you as ...

5 Little Known Facts About Black Entrepreneurship By: M. Zane Johnson, Esq. It’s Black History Month, and if you’re into entrepreneurship, you’ll probably come across a quite a few articles or videos sharing statistics about Black entrepreneurship. But, you probably haven’t come across any of the 5 surprising facts below. Much of the content out there about Black owned businesses ...

Legal Tips forContent Creators For many small business owners, solopreneurs, and freelance creatives, content is key. Creating content. Sourcing content. Distributing content. We find ourselves spending a good chunk of our time focused on these activities because, at the end of the day, it drives awareness and brings us business. What we don’t often think about are the legal risks ...

Questions to Ask Before Starting an LLC Are you interested in starting your first business and escaping the rat race? Then you’ve probably thought about forming an LLC. Most new entrepreneurs decide to start their first business as an LLC, and it’s not hard to understand why. Setting up your business as an LLC not only helps to safeguard your ...

Does BOI Reporting Mean the End of Anonymous LLCs For many business owners, privacy is a major concern. And rightfully so. Just because you’re running a business, doesn’t mean you want your personal information shared with the public. For years business owners have been allowed form and register anonymous LLCs to maintain their privacy while doing business. But with the ...

How do I Protect my Intellectual Property as an Independent Contractor? Unless you own real estate, your intellectual property (IP) is probably your business’s most valuable asset. This is especially true for freelance entrepreneurs who work for others as independent contractors. Your intellectual property sets you apart from your competitors. Furthermore, your intellectual property can be used to create passive ...

Firing Clients: When Enough is Enough All money, ain’t good money… When you find a client who is willing and able to pay on time, typically, you try to hold onto them. But occasionally, you come across a client whose money isn’t worth the headache that accompanies it. For example, you may have a client who treats your team like ...

Philadelphia Rental License Renewal By Schalor Blackshear and Zane Johnson Thinking about renting out a residential property to bring in some extra income? In Philadelphia, you’ll probably need a rental license. If you have been renting residential properties for years, you probably know this. But if you’re a newbie, you’ll have to factor the renewal process into your annual administrative ...

NIL Rights in Real Life By Patrick Hanafin and Zane Johnson The AND1 Ballers Could Have Used a Good Lawyer Debuting in 1998, The AND1 Mixtape was a cultural phenomenon. The concept was simple: take the highlights from various pickup basketball games and have a DJ slice up some hip-hop beats under the edited footage. Simple as it was, it ...

Everything You Need to Know About PA’s Marijuana Pardon Project PA’s new Marijuana Pardon Project is a potential game changer   If you have a past conviction for possession of marijuana in Pennsylvania, you’re going to want to keep reading. On September 2nd Pennsylvania announced its Marijuana Pardon Project. And this first of its kind program could make you eligible ...

How to do a Trademark Clearance Search – Step by Step At the foundation of any strong brand is a recognizable business name. Simply put, when customers recognize the name of your business and associate it with positive qualities, they are more likely to buy from you. Choosing a name for your business can be difficult. But when you finally ...