17 Jan 2025
In California, employee rights regarding meal and rest breaks are established by both state labor laws and specific regulations outlined by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). These laws are designed to protect workers, ensuring they are not overworked and have time to rest and refresh during their shifts. Understanding the rules for meal...
16 Jan 2025
Patent marking is the process of labeling a patented article or product with information about the patent that covers that product or article. This can include details of an issued patent or when a patent application is pending. The purpose of patent marking is for patent owners to give notice to the public of their...
15 Jan 2025
Non-compete clauses are a common feature in many employment contracts, typically designed to prevent employees from joining competing businesses or starting their own ventures after leaving the company. However, in California, these clauses are subject to strict legal limitations, with recent updates further reinforcing employees’ rights. Below is an overview of California’s laws regarding non-compete...
14 Jan 2025
Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of the mind—such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce—that are protected by law. The purpose of intellectual property rights is to give creators exclusive rights to their creations, allowing them to benefit financially from their work. There are several types of...
14 Jan 2025
In recent years, unpaid internships have become a common practice across many industries, offering students and young professionals opportunities to gain hands-on experience. However, these internships are often met with criticism and concern over their legality and fairness. In California, where labor laws are some of the most protective in the United States, the question...
13 Dec 2024
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) is a tribunal within the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that adjudicates disputes related to federal trademark registration
11 Dec 2024
A non-provisional patent application and a provisional patent application are both essential steps in the patent process, but they serve distinct purposes and have different legal implications. Below is an explanation of the differences between these two types of patent applications
6 Oct 2021
If you’re seeking to trademark intellectual property for your company or brand, whether it’s a product name, a logo, or a slogan, you may be tempted to do it yourself. And provided you live in the U.S., you’re eligible to do so without the help of an attorney. But going it alone isn’t always a...
17 Sep 2021
When you or a group of collaborators come up with a work, invention, or idea through your own creativity and original thought process, you’ve created intellectual property. Unfortunately, unlike most physical property, intellectual property is easily stolen or misattributed, which can result in its rightful owners being denied credit and compensation for their work. People...
12 Aug 2021
Every job comes with its own challenges, stresses, and frustrations. But those challenges should never be due to unfair, threatening, and harassing treatment from other employees, supervisors, managers, and owners. Unfortunately, countless California workers deal with that exact scenario every day, which not only makes them less effective at their jobs, but it can also...
3 Aug 2021
One of the most common ways that California employers take advantage of workers is by utilizing them as independent contractors instead of employees. Independent contractors are also known as 1099 workers because of the tax forms they’re sent by the businesses they work for rather than W-2 forms. Businesses misclassify workers as contractors because doing...
16 Jun 2021
Whether you’re a serial inventor or you’ve just come up with the idea of a lifetime, it’s just as important to protect your new intellectual property as it is to actually put your idea in motion. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes at this point—and those mistakes can render their ideas worthless or even place them...