Avoid the Legal Horrors with Julie King: Patent, Trademark, and Business Strategy

Publicly disclosing your invention before you file a patent application can be a grave mistake. This is one of the most terrifying things an inventor can do. In the U.S., you can lose your right to patent your invention if you talk about it publicly more than one year before you file. In some countries, once it’s public, there’s a shorter grace period or no grace period at all.

Imagine showing off your prototype at a trade show to excited buyers. Then you get busy, and time flies past you. You keep meaning to file a patent application but also keep forgetting to take any steps toward actually doing that. Six months go by, and you’ve lost your ability to get patent protection in the UK and much of Europe. Then it’s 12 months, and you’ve lost your ability to get a patent in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Don't fall into this open grave! It’s best to keep your brilliant ideas secret until you’ve talked with a patent attorney about the timing of making things public and filing patent applications.

To learn more about protecting your creations, your name, your business, and your legacy, you can book a consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com. I help entrepreneurs across the U.S. make smart, legally sound decisions about their intellectual property. I'm an attorney in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and I serve intellectual property clients nationwide.

If you’d like to consult with me, please book a consultation online at kingpatentlaw.com or by calling my office at 312-596-2222 or 217-714-8558.

If this episode helped you survive the horror of learning about how to protect and manage your intellectual property and business, please like and subscribe!

You can find all of my other frighteningly good content on intellectual property and business law issues here on Substack, on the King Patent Law website, at "Know Your Rights: Your IP and Business Law Playbook " on all major podcast platforms (video on YouTube, Spotify, and Substack only), and on most social media as @kingpatentlaw.

The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. You should not act on any information presented here without first seeking the counsel of a licensed attorney for your specific legal needs.

#intellectualproperty #patent #inventor #law #horrorlaw #horror #kingpatentlaw #julieking

What’s the scariest thing you can do with your business name? Skipping a trademark search. I see this nightmare all the time: a new business invests in branding, only to get a cease-and-desist letter because they unknowingly used a name that was already taken. They have to rebrand asap and maybe pay the other company damages. It's a costly and terrifying mistake.

Here’s a Real-Life Example: In 2020, New Comic Company, LLC, filed a suit for, among other intellectual property violations, trademark infringement, against Richard Sala, who ran Warrant Publishing Company. Why? New Comic Company owned the trademark rights to the word “Creepy” in relation to horror magazines, having published such a magazine with that title for years. Sala started a horror magazine called “The Creeps.” Before either side lost all their money in litigation, they reached a settlement in which Sala had to rebrand the magazine to “Shudder” in the fall of 2021. I think THAT name is a problem, because there is a horror streaming channel named “Shudder,” and I think people could be confused about whether the two businesses are related. It doesn’t look like AMC felt the need to go after Warrant Publishing, though.

A little foresight goes a long way, so when a business owner comes to me with a great idea for a name, the first thing we do is figure out if the name they've chosen is a horrifying liability or a truly valuable asset.

Don't let your creative work or business become a legal horror story. Intellectual property is one of the most terrifyingly useful tools you have. If you're a creator or other entrepreneur ready to build a frighteningly powerful brand, you need to know how to use it.

You don't have to face the darkness alone. To learn more about protecting your creations, your name, your business, and your legacy, you can book a consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com. I help entrepreneurs across the U.S. make smart, legally sound decisions about their intellectual property. I'm an attorney in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and I serve intellectual property clients nationwide.

If you’d like to consult with me, please book a consultation online at kingpatentlaw.com or by calling my office at 312-596-2222 or 217-714-8558.

If this episode helped you survive the horror of learning about how to protect and manage your intellectual property and business, please like and subscribe! You can find all of my other frighteningly good content on intellectual property and business law issues here on Substack, on the King Patent Law website, at "Know Your Rights: Your IP and Business Law Playbook " on all major podcast platforms (video on YouTube, Spotify, and Substack only), and on most social media as @kingpatentlaw.

The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. You should not act on any information presented here without first seeking the counsel of a licensed attorney for your specific legal needs.

#intellectualproperty #trademark #law #horrorlaw #horror #kingpatentlaw #julieking

I hear too often from business owners who’ve lost their brand name, their unique invention, or their artistic work because of one thing: a grave mistake in intellectual property.

Welcome to the first week of Spooky Season! I’m Julie King from King Patent Law, and this time of year, I love talking about the very real horrors of intellectual property gone wrong.

Today we’ll step into the graveyard of abandoned ideas, haunted by the ghosts of forgotten brands and the withered remains of failed inventions.

I'll include a few examples of some real-life horrors.

In this episode:

• The Trademark Tombstone (0:41)
• Apple Corp v Apple Computers (1:46)
• The Copyright Crypt (2:45)
• Recent AI scraping case problems (3:21)
• The Patent Plot (3:42)
• Public disclosure problems (4:01)
• Risks of not doing a patentability search (4:52)
• Accidental infringement (5:42)
• The Trade Secret Tragedy (6:17)
• How to Avoid the Grave Mistakes (7:07)
• More Content and Work with Julie King (7:56)

In the coming weeks, we’ll dive deeper into each of these topics, from patenting paranormal inventions to trademarking horror-related brand identifiers.

Until then, don't let your business become one of the residents of the intellectual property graveyard. There are four essential tools you can use to protect your creations and your business: patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Each one is a stake through the heart of potential legal problems, and you've got to know how to use them.

You don't have to face the darkness alone. To learn more about protecting your creations, your name, your business, and your legacy, you can book a consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com. I help entrepreneurs across the U.S. make smart, legally sound decisions about their intellectual property. I'm an attorney in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and I serve intellectual property clients nationwide.

If this episode helped you survive the horror of learning about how to protect and manage your intellectual property and business, please like and subscribe! You can find all of my other frighteningly good content on the King Patent Law website, at "Know Your Rights: Your IP and Business Law Playbook " on all major podcast platforms, and at @kingpatentlaw on most social media.

The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. You should not act on any information presented here without first seeking the counsel of a licensed attorney for your specific legal needs.

I get it. The word "lawyer" can be a little spooky. You might be afraid we’re going to be a blood-sucking vampire who costs a fortune, or a snobby monster who makes you feel stupid with all their jargon.

But a good intellectual property lawyer is actually on your side! We're here to help you save time, avoid legal pitfalls, and secure your brand's future. We can even save you money by making sure you’re not wasting it on patent and trademark applications doomed to fail or contracts that don’t do what you need them to do.

It’s true, we usually aren’t cheap, but that’s because we’ve spent years developing knowledge and experience that can bring great value to you. Our goal is to empower you, not to bleed you dry.

While there are a few monsters among us, that’s true for any profession. Most of us truly just want to help you and charge reasonable fees. A consultation is a great way to make sure you’re hiring a monstrously good lawyer, not getting the equivalent of a rotten apple or dental floss in the Halloween

candy bucket.

Don't let the fear of a scary lawyer keep you from getting the protection your creations, business, and brand need.

For more videos like this, follow me on social media and subscribe to this channel!

Finally, this is not legal advice, and I’m not your lawyer. Consult an attorney (maybe me!) about your specific situation.

Are you ready to file a patent application on your own? Think twice. The process isn't just about a good idea; it's a legal minefield, or like the people trying to escape the psycho killer in a horror movie who run into a barn full of sharp objects. You need to be incredibly careful to make sure you’re taking the right steps.

The number one reason do-it-yourself patent applications fail is because of prior art. This is a terrifying legal term for anything that already exists, like a patent, a product, or a publication, that proves your invention isn't truly new. It’s the specter of all that came before, haunting your claim to originality.

This is why a thorough prior art search is so important before you file. It's the first step to ensuring your invention is unique enough to warrant a patent. Think of it as confronting the ghost of inventions past. If you don't have a thorough, professional patentability search done to help you face the prior art phantoms, your application could be dead on arrival.

For more videos like this, follow me on social media and subscribe to this channel!

Finally, this is not legal advice, and I’m not your lawyer. Consult an attorney (maybe me!) about your specific situation.

Got a great name for your company and you’re ready to file a trademark application? Stop!

Don't let your brand become a victim. The number one reason a DIY trademark application gets denied is because another entity is already using an identical or confusingly similar name. It's like a brand doppelgänger!

This is why a thorough trademark search is the first, most critical step. Think of it as your brand's protective ritual against unseen threats. It helps you uncover any lurking dangers and ensures your mark is unique, saving you from a terrifying and costly denial.

Don't let your brand's story end in a tragic tale of infringement. Your best protection against that is to hire a professional to help you discover those lurking horrors.

For more videos like this, follow me on social media and subscribe to this channel!

Finally, this is not legal advice, and I’m not your lawyer. Consult an attorney (maybe me!) about your specific situation.

Are you trying to decide whether to hire an intellectual property lawyer or tackle some IP legal work yourself?

If you're just registering a simple copyright on one song or a book, you might be able to handle it yourself. But if you're building a brand, a business, or an IP portfolio you want to last and give you the maximum protection, you should consider hiring a pro.

We can help you with strategy, doing things the right way, and making sure you don’t waste money on patent and trademark applications doomed to fail.

If hiring an attorney for full services absolutely isn’t in your budget, it’s worth spending a little to get some guidance on how to avoid common DIY problems and to point you in the right direction to achieve your goals.

A lawyer is an investment in your future. We help you avoid costly mistakes and give you confidence that your IP is protected in the right way.

To DIY or not to DIY, that is the question many creators and entrepreneurs ask themselves when it comes to applying to register their intellectual property or take other steps to protect it. What’s the answer? That depends on a variety of factors, and I’ll be going over that today.

You know you need to protect your work, but you've reached a crossroads. The question is: do you walk the path alone or bring a guide?

Most creators and entrepreneurs, especially those in the indie space, are DIY warriors. You write your own scripts, you create products, you design your own merchandise, you do your own marketing. It's in your blood. Naturally, when it comes to intellectual property, you might be tempted to handle it all yourself. The truth is, sometimes you can.

The key is knowing when DIY is fine, and when to bring the right professional with a lantern to light the way.

In this episode:

• The Self-Help Path: Walking the Foggy Road Alone (1:46)
• Jargon Can Be a Trap (2:26)
• Not Having a Professional Trademark Search or Patent Search Done Means Your Foundations Could Be Ready to Crumble at Any Time (2:49)
• Copyright Registration is Not Always Simple (3:46)
• Real Case Example (4:04)
• The Professional Path: Bringing Your Wizard (4:48)
  • Professional Search (5:08)
  • Correct Classification and Filing (5:30)
  • Strategy (5:48)
  • Personal Legal Advocate (6:08)

#KingPatentLaw #IPLawyer #IntellectualProperty #JulieKing #DIYLegal #DIYPatent #HorrorLaw #IntellectualProperty #LegalHelp #LegalMistakes #LegalMyths #LegalTips #SmallBusiness #Patent #Trademark

Here's a spooky thought: what happens to your work after you're gone?

If you don't have a plan, your creative legacy could get lost in legal hell. But if you've registered your intellectual property and included it in your estate plan and your business succession plan, you can ensure that your work and brands continue to generate income for your loved ones and business partners.

Don't let your hard work die with you. Secure your legacy with solid intellectual property planning and let your work live on.

For more videos like this, follow me on social media and subscribe to this channel!

Finally, this is not legal advice, and I’m not your lawyer. Consult an attorney (maybe me!) for your specific situation.

Don't let your creative work or business become a ghost story. Intellectual property is one of the most terrifyingly useful tools you have. If you're a creator or other entrepreneur ready to build a frighteningly powerful brand, you need to know how to use it.

You don't have to face the darkness alone. To learn more about protecting your art, your name, your business, and your legacy, you can book a consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com. I help entrepreneurs across the U.S. make smart, legally sound decisions about their intellectual property. I'm an attorney in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and I serve intellectual property clients nationwide.

If this episode helped you survive the horror of learning about how to protect and manage your intellectual property and business, please like and subscribe!

You can find all of my other frighteningly good content on the King Patent Law website, at "Know Your Rights: Your IP and Business Law Playbook " on all major podcast platforms, and at @kingpatentlaw on most social media.

The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. You should not act on any information presented here without first seeking the counsel of a licensed attorney for your specific legal needs.

#copyright #trademark #patent #businesstips #smallbusinesstips #law #intellectualproperty #lawyer

Think of your business. What makes it valuable? The name, the products, and the brand.

Your intellectual property, your copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets, are valuable assets. They can be bought, sold, and licensed. They also add what’s called “goodwill” value, which is the powerful reputation you’ve built that goes along with them. Having a strong IP portfolio makes your business more valuable and more attractive to investors.

Don't think of your work as just the core of what you do. Think of the intellectual property rights that go along with it as business assets and investments, and protect them accordingly!

For more videos like this, follow me on social media and subscribe to this channel!

Finally, this is not legal advice, and I’m not your lawyer. Consult an attorney (maybe me!) for your specific situation.

Don't let your creative work or business become a ghost story. Intellectual property is one of the most terrifyingly useful tools you have. If you're a creator or other entrepreneur ready to build a frighteningly powerful brand, you need to know how to use it.

You don't have to face the darkness alone. To learn more about protecting your art, your name, your business, and your legacy, you can book a consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com. I help entrepreneurs across the U.S. make smart, legally sound decisions about their intellectual property. I'm an attorney in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and I serve intellectual property clients nationwide.

If this episode helped you survive the horror of learning about how to protect and manage your intellectual property and business, please like and subscribe!

You can find all of my other frighteningly good content on the King Patent Law website, at "Know Your Rights: Your IP and Business Law Playbook " on all major podcast platforms, and at @kingpatentlaw on most social media.

The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. You should not act on any information presented here without first seeking the counsel of a licensed attorney for your specific legal needs.

#copyright #trademark #patent #licensing #businesstips #smallbusinesstips #law #intellectualproperty #lawyer