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Kelley Way has been creating blog posts across many topics of Estate Planning, Copyright and Trademark law. If you have a topic or question you’d like covered, reach out to Kelley Way here.
Discussing Your Estate Plan With Family
The holidays are coming up, and it’s not uncommon for family members to ask questions about a relative’s estate plan over apple pie – or for the relative to bring up their estate plan as a conversation point. Generally, discussing your estate plan with your family is...
The Difference Between Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents
When it comes to intellectual property law, the most frequently asked question is what’s the difference between copyrights, trademarks, and patents? So let me explain what each of these concepts means and what each protects. To start with the basics, “intellectual...
Homeownership and Your Estate Plan
Will Buying a House Change My Estate Plan? Buying a house for the first time is a significant step for most people. It’s also a big reason to have an estate plan in California. Probate is required if the decedent (i.e., deceased person) owned real property worth more...
3 Ways to Discourage Copyright Infringement
Unfortunately, copyright infringement is rampant in the Age of the Internet. It is so easy to copy a photo or share a song or e-book, many people don’t even realize that what they’re doing is infringement. And then you also have the person who is deliberately and...
Three Legal Documents Everyone Should Have When They Turn Eighteen
There are a lot of things people say everyone should have when they turn eighteen. I’m sure many of those things are good recommendations. But I am talking specifically from an estate planning perspective. As an estate planner, I feel every adult ought to have these...
The Difference Between Branding Guidelines and a Trademark
I recently had someone ask whether having branding guidelines meant they had a trademark. Branding guidelines and trademarks are connected, but having one doesn’t necessarily mean you have the other. Let me explain the difference between branding guidelines and a...
When Should I Register a Trademark?
When should I register a trademark is an excellent question that, frankly, I wish more of my potential trademark clients would ask. Many people seem to think they must register their trademark before they even have a product on the market. In some cases, this is a...
Three Common Myths About Estate Planning
There are a lot of reasons people drag their feet on creating an estate plan. Many of my clients tell me they’ve meant to “get this done” for some time. But there are also people out there who think they don’t need anything, or at least not yet. Sometimes they’re...
What Happens if I Can’t Find the Will?
I have had several cases where my client had trouble locating the decedent's (a.k.a. deceased person's) Will and or trust. So naturally, this caused them some concern, and the question arose: What happens if I can't find the Will? Before you panic, there are some...