Category: Blog

Get Financing but Don’t Lose Control of Your Company

Written by JGPC Business Law on March 15, 2017.

How you choose to finance your new business venture can have a dramatic impact on the type of entity you use for the venture, the structure of that entity and the direction your company takes in the first few weeks and months of its existence. Companies that are funded entirely by you and/or your close friends and family members will operate in a dramatically different way than one that is funded by outside investors. Similarly, a company funded by the entrepreneur or owner (or his or her family...

What is 506(c) Offering and What Does It Mean for Financing Your Company?

Written by JGPC Business Law on March 7, 2017.

A New Day for Startups Seeking Capital The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012 was designed to assist startups – especially new small businesses – in obtaining capital without having to comply with some of the restrictions that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had put in place governing other types of transactions. However, a 506(c) offering may or may not be the best method of raising capital for your new business. Benefits of 506(c) Offerings in General The new Rule...

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Is That a Patent, Trademark or Copyright?

Written by JGPC Business Law on February 23, 2017.

Gerald R. Prettyman, J.D., LL.M. If you wouldn’t know a patent if one bit you[1], you are not alone. Most of the public doesn’t know the difference, and there are lawyers who are uncertain of the differences. Today, though, you are lucky enough to have this article in front of you to learn the difference. Bear in mind, however, this is just an overview. If you want to know more, refer to the footnotes. Patents First – a patent provides a patent owner with the exclusive right to exclude...

Patent Attorneys Protect Your Company’s Investments

Written by JGPC Business Law on February 10, 2017.

When you acquire a new headquarters for your business or a valuable, tangible asset to help your company grow, you naturally (and wisely) take steps to protect that asset or property with insurance and security. Many business owners, though, fail to take similar measures to protect their intangible assets. Ideas, songs, slogans, and trademarks may not seem like “assets” in the traditional sense of the word, but for many companies, these items, their intellectual property, out value their tangible...

What is Required in a California Non-Disclosure Agreement?

Written by JGPC Business Law on February 1, 2017.

All attorneys and paralegals from JGPC Business Law are working remotely and fully functional during the sheltering period. If you wish to reach us, send us an email or call the office. When your business hires a new employee, the last thing you as a business owner want is for your new employee to learn your company’s trade secrets and other confidential information and then leave to work for your competitor. Without a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), your new employee can be an attractive target...

Patent Ownership is Not Based on The Date of Postmark

Written by JGPC Business Law on January 20, 2017.

The Postmark Is Dead No, this article is not about the Post Office. Rather, this article is about inventors needing to file a patent application to protect an idea. The title refers to the notion that a person could prove inventorship and a date of invention by documenting the idea and sending the document through the Postal Service with the postmark as proof of the date of invention. The Patent Office hasn’t publicized whether a postmark proof ever worked, but between 2000 and 2010, only one...

Intellectual Property Protection for New Product Inventions

Written by JGPC Business Law on January 7, 2017.

New Product Inventions Require the Right Protection Without the right intellectual property protections, your new product ideas and inventions are just as likely to benefit another business as your own. This is because copyrights, patents, trademarks, and other similar intellectual property protections afford you and the individuals or entities you choose with certain rights to use and reproduce the invention. Intellectual property law is exceedingly complex; therefore, obtaining the proper protection...

Seven Legal Issues Facing Startup Software Companies

Written by JGPC Business Law on December 29, 2016.

You have an idea for a new software program and a passion for business, but will that be enough for you and your software startup company to succeed? Regardless of the contributions by friends and family, your decision to form a software company will cause you to confront several significant legal issues before your startup will achieve stability and success. While many of these issues cannot be avoided, they can be more easily and successfully navigated with the help of a California startup business...

ADR Services That Work Best

Written by JGPC Business Law on November 30, 2016.

ADR Services – What Works Best in Your Situation? Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) forms can be quite helpful for business owners who find themselves ensnared in legal disputes and conflicts with customers and/or other businesses. Litigation takes time, and as the old saying goes, “Time is money.” The more time your business spends in the courtroom, the greater the impact those disputes and conflicts will have on your business’s profitability. In many cases, ADR can resolve a business’s disputes...

Five Ways to Manage Business Startup Legal Expenses

Written by JGPC Business Law on November 19, 2016.

Money: without sufficient amounts of it, your new business idea is not likely to get very far. When starting a business or project, it is crucial to ensure that you have enough capital to pay for your startup expenses. Hiring a California business startup attorney to help you in taking the legal steps necessary to get your business up and going, but the costs of these services can sometimes seem expensive. Thankfully, there are several ways entrepreneurs and new business owners can manage their...