What To Do When You’ve Been Disinherited?
I have been contacted on multiple occasions by prospective clients who learned after a loved one’s death that they would inherit nothing from the deceased person (decedent). This can be a very painful discovery, particularly if the decedent and the prospect were spouses or close family members. Not surprisingly, the prospect wants to inherit what they feel they...
Can I Reverse-Engineer this Design?
My sister inspired this blog article when she noticed a trend in the knitting world. She saw several social media posts where knitters saw a design they liked, reverse-engineered it, and then gave away the pattern or offered it for sale. She asked me about the legality of this practice, and it reminded me of stories I heard...
Estate Administration Basics: What to Do After a Loved One Dies
Estate Administration Basics: What To Do After a Loved One Dies Losing a loved one is one of the most emotional times a person can go through. Dealing with their material possessions (i.e. the estate) shouldn’t be an additional burden, but it frequently is. Most people have no idea where to begin the process of sorting through accounts...
When Should I Register My Trademark?
When Should I Register My Trademark? Before jumping into the details of trademark registration, it’s important to remember what a trademark is and why having one is important. A trademark serves as a source identifier in the marketplace, so buyers know who they’re buying from and sellers can build a reputation that makes people want to buy from...
What’s the Difference Between Libel and Slander?
I see a lot of confusion regarding defamation, libel, and slander. People usually know the terms are related, but they’re not sure how or what they actually mean. Let me break it down. Defamation is the spreading of false facts (i.e. lies, but lying sounds bad, so we’ll stick with “false facts”). Spoken defamation is called slander, and...