September 2021

Last week was National Small Business Week. For us, pretty much every week is a small business week! Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy, and of the trademark system. Trademark protection is even more important - and a better value - for small businesses, to help reduce the risks and costs of disputes or rebranding efforts. Over more than 20 years, we've been honored to work with thousands of small businesses, from restaurants to consultants, software developers to apparel brands, and much more. Supporting small businesses as they grow and build brands brings us tremendous joy and pleasure each and every day. As a small business of our own, earning the trust of small businesses is our highest honor.

Even Trademark Lawyers Make Branding Mistakes

No one is immune from potential branding errors. Erik shares the history of the law firm brand, including some mistakes made along the way as the EMP&A brand evolved.

Gauge Your Brand with the Trademark Instrument Panel

When driving, the dashboard tells you a lot of information about the vehicle in the moment – the speed, mileage, gas, engine temperature, and more. For brands and trademarks, there is now an instrument panel to use to measure the status (see below). If your brand’s trademark isn’t in the green, I’d urge to you talk to a mechanic (lawyer) immediately to mitigate the risks and work to improve the performance.

If you are a fan of the show Ted Lasso, like I am, you might be interested to know that earlier this year, Warner Bros filed several trademark applications for TED LASSO and A.F.C. RICHMOND Logo. This is common practice for a hit series -- in fact, the surprising element is that they didn't file for the show name and the fictional team earlier, even before the series launched, for maximum protection.

We are Blooming in 2021

We are excited to share our growth--welcome Tom and Chelsea to the EMP&A family! Click here to read more about our team.

If there are any topics or issues you would like to see covered here, let us know! ------------------------------------------------------- This publication has been prepared for the general information of clients and friends of the firm. It is not intended to provide legal advice with respect to any specific matter. Under rules applicable to the professional conduct of attorneys in various jurisdictions, it may be considered advertising material.   © 2021 Erik M. Pelton & Associates, PLLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.