I get a lot of questions about trademarks… what they are, how they are used, whether or not I should even apply for trademark protection by registering my brand name. This page is designed as an “all in one resource” for you to refer to with your trademark basics questions. And here’s a quick video […]
What Every Online Business Needs to Know About Trademarks Read More »
Have you properly classified the people who work for you as an independent contractor vs employee? Do you even know the difference? Here’s what most business owners do know… When they hire someone on as an independent contractor, they don’t have to pay payroll taxes on that individual, nor do they have to pay benefits,
Independent Contractor vs Employee? What every business must know Read More »
If you are selling physical products with any regularity and volume, you are bound to come across some form of intellectual property infringement on Amazon sooner or later. Believe it or not, you are not the first seller to have this issue. Unfortunately, there are lots of unscrupulous sellers out there that are just looking to
Intellectual Property Infringement on Amazon… What You Need to Know Read More »
Trade dress is extremely important, and here’s a great story to illustrate why. I have a friend that recently developed a good business selling a physical product on Amazon. As a side business, his revenue numbers were strong (i.e. $15,000-20,000 per month), and growing. He had developed a great brand name and even went so far
What is Trade Dress, and why is it important? Read More »
Are you looking for information about how to sell on Amazon? This is probably one of the most important articles you will find. No, I’m not going to share with you the nuts and bolts about how to find and source your products, then ship them to Amazon, and finally, get them sold. But what
10 Things You Need to Know about How to Sell on Amazon… Legally Speaking Read More »
If you are thinking about starting a new brand that will require a new name, one of the most important things you can do is conduct a proper US Trademark Search. Of course, this assumes that you have already chosen a proper, trademark-worthy name. The dangers to moving forward at this stage without conducting a
Starting a New Brand? How to Do a Proper US Trademark Search Read More »
One of the most common questions I get from clients that are thinking about starting a new business is “What is an LLC?” The question really isn’t what is an LLC, but rather, is an LLC right for the client? Believe it or not, an LLC, while beneficial in a lot of situations, is not a
What is an LLC and Who Should form One? Read More »
As 2015 comes to a close, it is time to start thinking about doing some year-end housekeeping for your online business. To help you stay on track, we at Hawthorn Law have compiled a quick Legal Checklist for your Online Business. (FYI, this is different than the legal audit checklist we offer to our email
Avoid These Year End Legal Blunders Read More »
We have formed relationships with many business owners who have formed “Amazon-based” businesses. In other words, they create and source physical products, ship those products to an Amazon warehouse, and then list the products for sale on Amazon’s website. The majority of this business takes place on Amazon.com, although Amazon also has websites in the UK,
What is the best corporate entity for a foreigner in the US? Read More »
One of the first, most important steps you take when forming a new business is to start the process of protecting your intellectual property. Typically, unless you need to file a patent, this involves picking a brand name for your business and starting the process of registering that trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark
How to Choose the Right Brand Name to Position Your Business for Success Read More »
Every internet entrepreneur has been there… The day you come up with a great new idea for your internet business, you rush to the nearest computer to register a domain (assuming it’s available), and voila, your internet business is born. Unfortunately, most internet entrepreneurs don’t have the happy ending that all of you are looking
3 Of The Most Common Mistakes Online Entrepreneurs Make Read More »
So yesterday we took some time to review the first two business entities, sole proprietorships and general partnerships. It may make sense for some of you out there who are trying to start an online business to elect one of these corporate entities, but you are certainly in the minority. What are the best business entities for
