The Legal Jim Podcast

If you are using or thinking about using a cool sounding name for your business, you may be wondering when you should trademark that name.

In today's episode, we talk about when you should start to think about trademarking your business name.

Are you wondering what those little trademark symbols really mean? Or how to properly use them in your business? Then you are in luck.

Today we break down everything you need to know about those symbols and share with you how to use them correctly in your business to make sure your are legally protected and not running afoul of the USPTO.

Because the last thing you want to do is try to register a name or stop someone from infringing on your name and then find out you aren't eligible for that relief.

Are you one of those entrepreneurs who puts off legal "because I'll never get sued"?

This is a great way to save some money and time by punting the ball down the road… until it isn't.

But chances are, getting sued by a client or customer is the least of your concerns.

In today's podcast, we talk about what the biggest risks to your business are and how you can avoid them to keep your business protected and legally legit.

Many people are confused about what trademarks they should file first.

• Should you go with your business name?
• The name of your podcast?
• Your slogan or logo, or even you signature course?

Today we review which types of trademarks you might have in your business, which to register first, and why you shouldn't register them all at the same time.

Most entrepreneurs who are just starting out think they aren't ready to register their trademarks on a Federal level. They think that filing for trademark protection is only for large, established businesses.

Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the biggest legal risks to your business is not securing the legal rights to your brand name.

In today's episode we discuss why this is and what you should do to legally protect your brand name.

Chances are, you have more intellectual property in your business than you know about.

But most online business owners have never taken inventory of their IP, let alone taken the steps necessary to protect it.

In today's episode, we dig into the different types of trademarks you need to protect in your business, why it is important to protect those trademarks, and which trademarks you should prioritize in your business (in terms of legal protections).

Let's dive in and get to work!

If you are an entrepreneur who is looking to start and build a profitable brand online, one of the first things you need to do is claim the legal rights to your name.

Unfortunately, there are two huge mistakes that people make when filing trademark applications on their own that will cause their filing to get rejected. This will not only cost you a lot of time, but also a lot of money in lost filing fees.

In today's episode we talk about the two most common reasons that a trademark application will get denied, and what you can do to make sure this doesn't happen to you!

When talking to entrepreneurs about setting up their businesses legally, one of the most common hurdles I see is that people aren't sure how to come up with a name for their business.

In this process, they make one of three easily avoidable mistakes. We talk about all three of these mistakes, how to avoid them, and more in today's episode of The Legal Jim.

In this episode of The Legal Jim, we will be reviewing the 4 things you need to do to get your business legally protected. They include: 1) creating separation between your personal and business lives; 2) Claiming the legal rights to your online persona (i.e. brand); 3) Protecting your relationships with clients, contractors and vendors; and, 4) Protecting all of the content you create, including podcasts, blog posts, courses and videos.

At the very end I will share which of these four areas is the MOST important and can cost you the most legal headaches if you ignore it.

This is one episode you definitely do NOT want to miss!

Today's episode seems like it is all about LLC's, but I'll be weaving in some trademark and branding snippets as well.

Here are some of the things we will discuss…

• What is an LLC?
• Why is forming an LLC important?
• Should you form an LLC before you Trademark your name?
• Why I recommend forming an LLC when you are just getting started