All but 7 of the states in the US have issued stay-at-home (aka "shelter-in-place") orders. This has resulted in an unprecedented number of employees working from home. With this sudden proliferation of teleworking, businesses need to take extra precautions to protect their valuable trade secrets. A trade secret is anything that (i) gives a business a competitive advantage, (ii) has [...]
In troubled times like these when we're more aware of our own mortality, you may be wondering what will happen to your small business after your death. Now is a good time to begin the process of "succession planning." Surveys show that while most small-business owners plan to sell their businesses to fund their retirement, few have written succession plans. [...]
New Federal Sick Leave Law Enacted on March 18, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid sick and family leave to employees affected by COVID-19. These businesses will receive corresponding employment tax credits. The Department of Labor ("DOL") has begun to issue guidance for employers and employees. Some information [...]
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people find themselves stuck at home, binge-watching Netflix. Fortunately, there are a number of more productive things you can do when you've finished watching all your favorite shows and the cabin-fever sets in. This is a perfect time to take care of some of those legal issues you've never gotten around to. [...]
Impacts of COVID-19 on Intellectual Property Registrations The US Copyright Office has announced that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the processing of paper applications and the examination of physical deposits will be delayed. It strongly encourages applicants to submit applications online. Special handling claims that are submitted electronically and for which electronic deposits are permissible under the regulations [...]
We take the health and safety of our employees and clients seriously. We are taking the following actions in an effort to minimize any risks: • We are rescheduling all in-person appointments to phone appointments (whenever possible). If you are in the office, we will offer you a sanitized pen for any required signatures or the like. • If you [...]
The CDC recently released guidelines for employers on how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations include actively encouraging employees to stay home if they have symptoms indicative of COVID-19, that is, any respiratory illness with fever, cough and/or shortness of breath. These employees should not return to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F or greater using an oral thermometer) [...]
Businesses often want to have a trademark that describes what they're selling, but in order to be protectable, a trademark must be "distinctive." That is, it must be used to identify the source of the product or service, not just describe it. Courts classify marks into categories of distinctiveness. The most distinctive marks are those that are arbitrary or fanciful. [...]
Coronavirus Disease 2019 The CDC has released guidelines for employers on how to deal with the likely outbreak of "COVID-19" in the US. There are, however, legal as well as medical concerns involved with such a situation. While the EEOC has stated that employers may send workers home if they exhibit flu-like symptoms during a pandemic, employers should be careful in what [...]
Many small businesses start out as sole proprietorships or partnerships, usually because they're the simplest to get up and running. For most businesses, though, the small amount of extra time and expense involved in setting up a corporation or limited liability company (LLC) will be well worth it. The most important benefit of doing business as a corporation or LLC [...]
