We are all using digital marketing to grow our business, and in doing so we are creating brand equity along the way. Brand equity is a powerful concept that doesn't appear in your income statement but indirectly helps you grow your business in tandem with your digital and social media marketing.

When it comes to brand equity, there are some legal aspects that are important to understand so that what you grow in your business becomes rightfully and legally yours. This is especially true if your dream is to sell your company to a larger entity or receive funding from venture capitalists.

For that reason, we have a unique interview with someone today, Bao Tran, an IP attorney who is launching a new startup to help democratize the patent application process. In this interview you will learn:

1) Why brandings are a significant part of company valuation
2) Different innovative ways brands can be protected with Trademarks
3) Different ways brands can be protected with Copyrights

After listening to this episode you will be able to navigate the legal system from a branding perspective and understand what next steps you might want to take.

Key Highlights

[02:54] Introduction of Podcast Guest, Bao Tran

[07:29] Company Valuation

[10:00] The Ways Companies Can Protect Their Brand and Valuation

[12:53] Things That You Can Get Trademarked

[14:58] Ways You Can Distinguish Your Product

[17:03] Why Trademark Clearance Search Is Important?

[17:26] Trademark Search Options

[20:00] What Are Copyrights?

[21:35] Best Practices for Copyrights

[24:16] The Third Element in Trademark Context

[26:17] How Can I Protect NFT?

[27:37] Connect with Bao

Notable Quotes

• In our present world that most of the value is in the consumer recognition of your brand and that's why your work and you know, and your co-workers work in marketing is super critical to the value of a company.
• The point here is it's under your control. If you don't want anybody else to come in, you can do that, if you want to allow people coming in, in exchange for a royalty you can do that is under your control.
• But you know, when you're doing that for a very for a year, if you're stretching out to a year period, the risk is increasing that possibly somebody could enter your business ahead of you, and then block you from using that name.
• It’s what we call a specimen. So you just upload that to the copyright, very inexpensive, and, you know, you can do it yourself and get that protection, easy protection.
• If you think that somebody is going to reuse that, then you want to control that by having a copyright registration. Copyright registration allows you to then go and pursue the party that you know, you think is misusing your copyright.

Connect with Bao Tran

• Bao Tran on Linke

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