How Will Prop 19 Affect My Property Taxes?
Changes to the Parent-Child Exclusion After Prop 19 In my November article, I went over the current rules for how property is taxed after being passed on to a child. With the passage of Prop 19, those rules will change on February 16, 2021. As promised, here is an overview of what will be different and how Prop...
Who Owns the Copyright?
Who owns the copyright when you are hired to work for another person or company? Let's discuss: Work for Hire Doctrine You’ve been hired to create some artwork. Happy days! You create your masterpiece, send it to the buyer, and get paid. Then you follow up and find out that the buyer is using your art in a...
My Top Blog Posts of 2020
My Top Blog Posts of 2020: A Year in Review I think we can all agree that it has been a truly eventful year. All of us have been impacted by shelter in place, civil unrest, and an extremely contentious election. In addition, some of us will be affected by the passage of Prop 19, which restricts the...
Step-up in Basis: Inheriting Property from Parents
What is step-up in basis and what happens if I inherit property from my parents? While this question frequently comes up on both the estate planning and trust administration side, specific California ballot measures and possible changes on the federal level make this a topic of particular interest today. Here’s where the law stands now: On the federal...
Three Common Objections to a Trademark Application
Congratulations, you’ve filed your trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)! You pat yourself on the back, and then turn your attention to other things while waiting for your application to process. A few months later, you are surprised to receive an Office Action from the trademark examiner, saying they have objections to your trademark...