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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.
Collaboration and Copyright
What Happens If I Collaborate? Joint Authorship in Copyright Your best friend has just approached you to co-author a book together. She has a great idea that's sure to sell, and your skills are perfect for this collaboration. Should you do it? Let's talk about how...
Should You Put Your Copyright in a Trust or LLC?
Why am I talking about putting copyrights in a trust or LLC? Many copyright owners do not realize that their copyrights are part of their probate estate after their death. For those who aren't sure what I just said, the estate is everything that a person owns in their...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Celebrity Horror Stories: When Estate Planning Goes Wrong
It’s October, the time of year when everyone loves to hear scary stories. In keeping with the tradition, I’m going to share several celebrity horror stories to show what happens when estate planning goes wrong. These celebrities, for whatever reason, did not create a...
Trademark Frequently Asked Questions
Most of my trademark clients come to me with questions, even before they’ve decided to hire me. There’s a lot of confusion out there about trademarks and how they work. Here are some trademark frequently asked questions that I see on a regular basis: What is a...