Avoid the Legal Horrors with Julie King: Patent, Trademark, and Business Strategy

Wait, Can You Patent the Way Something Looks?

Yes. A utility patent protects how something works. A design patent protects how something looks. If your product has a distinctive visual identity, you may have more protection available than you think. 📰 Sign up for the Avoid the Legal Horrors newsletter: https://kingpatentlaw.com/newsletter/ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/newsletter/] Avoid the legal horrors and keep rocking your IP. 💀🎸 📅 Ready to protect your brand and business? Book a consultation: https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/] I help creators and small business owners with IP matters nationwide and with contracts in Illinois and Georgia. @kingpatentlaw on social media (NOT X) DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not form an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult with a licensed attorney. This content contains attorney advertising material. Julie King | King Patent Law, PLLC | 301 N Neil St Ste 400, Champaign IL 61820. Phone number and email address available at kingpatentlaw.com.

Don't Assume Patents Are Out of Your Budget. Have You Looked at Design Patents?

Utility patent pricing scares a lot of product inventors out of pursuing any patent protection at all. But design patents (which protect how a product looks, not how it works) are a meaningfully different conversation. If you've written off patents on cost alone, this one's for you.   📰 Sign up for the Avoid the Legal Horrors newsletter: https://kingpatentlaw.com/newsletter/ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/newsletter/] Avoid the legal horrors and keep rocking your IP. 💀🎸 📅 Ready to protect your brand and business? Book a consultation: https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/] I help creators and small business owners with IP matters nationwide and with contracts in Illinois and Georgia. @kingpatentlaw on social media (NOT X) DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not form an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult with a licensed attorney. This content contains attorney advertising material. Julie King | King Patent Law, PLLC | 301 N Neil St Ste 400, Champaign IL 61820. Phone number and email address available at kingpatentlaw.com.

Design Patents for Amazon Sellers: How to Stop Copycats From Stealing Your Packaging or Product Look

If you sell a physical product online, copycats are a real threat, and most sellers don't know about the IP protection built specifically for this problem. In this episode, I break down design patents: what they protect, how they differ from utility patents, when to file, and what having a patent number actually does for you when you're dealing with a look-alike competitor on Amazon. TIMESTAMPS 00:58 - What Design Patents Do and Don't Protect 01:36 - The Benefits of Design Patents vs Utility Patents - Faster, Cheaper, Still Effective 02:50 - Hot Sauce and Not Sauce - An Example 03:58 - Practical Steps to Protection 05:32 - Wrap-Up 📰 Sign up for the Avoid the Legal Horrors newsletter: https://kingpatentlaw.com/newsletter/ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/newsletter/] Avoid the legal horrors and keep rocking your IP. 💀🎸 📅 Ready to protect your brand and business? Book a consultation: https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/] I help creators and small business owners with IP matters nationwide and with contracts in Illinois and Georgia. @kingpatentlaw on social media (NOT X) DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not form an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult with a licensed attorney. This content contains attorney advertising material. Julie King | King Patent Law, PLLC | 301 N Neil St Ste 400, Champaign IL 61820. Phone number and email address available at kingpatentlaw.com.

Your LLC Does NOT Protect Your Business Name. Here's What Does: Trademark Registration

Registering an LLC gives you a liability shield. It does NOT give you trademark rights. Your business name, logo, and brand identity are only protected through federal trademark registration. And the window to get that registration isn't unlimited. Avoid the legal horrors, and keep rocking your IP. Full transcript and more resources at ⁠⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blog⁠ [kingpatentlaw.com/blog] Ready to protect your brand and business? Book a consultation at kingpatentlaw.com⁠ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/]. We serve intellectual property clients nationwide and business and estate planning clients in Illinois. Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not form an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult with a licensed attorney Contains attorney advertisement material. Julie King | King Patent Law, PLLC | 301 N Neil St Ste 400, Champaign IL 61820. Phone and email available at kingpatentlaw.com

I Just Trademarked My Podcast Name. Here's Why You Should Too

I filed the trademark applications for "Avoid the Legal Horrors" this week. And it made me think about how many podcast creators, YouTubers, and newsletter writers are operating under names they don't own. Common law trademark rights give you some protection from first use. Federal trademark registration gives you nationwide presumption of ownership, the right to stop others from registering confusingly similar names, and the legal standing to defend your brand in federal court. Don't wait until someone else files first. Avoid the legal horrors, and keep rocking your IP. Full transcript and more resources at ⁠⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blog⁠ [kingpatentlaw.com/blog] Ready to protect your brand and business? Book a consultation at kingpatentlaw.com⁠ [https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointments/consultation/]. We serve intellectual property clients nationwide and business and estate planning clients in Illinois. Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not form an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult with a licensed attorney Contains attorney advertisement material. Julie King | King Patent Law, PLLC | 301 N Neil St Ste 400, Champaign IL 61820. Phone and email available at kingpatentlaw.com