Attorney Insights
Practical legal articles to help you confidently start, protect, and grow your organization.
An LLC name identifies your entity in one state. A DBA gives no exclusive rights at all. Only a federal trademark gives you the right to a brand name nationwide. What each one actually covers, and the order to do them in.
Read Article →Anyone can use TM or SM at any time with nothing filed. The ® symbol is the only one with a rule attached, and using it too early can cost you the registration.
Read Article →Five items to check on your USPTO filing receipt: the type of mark, the description of goods and services, the filing basis, the specimen, and the owner. Which mistakes are still fixable, and which are not.
Read Article →Usually yes, if you are using the name to sell goods or services and it is distinctive enough to identify you as the source. Registering an LLC does…
Read Article →Yes, but it is usually not the first thing you should register. A logo is protected as a design mark, which covers that specific design. If the logo…
Read Article →Yes, if the slogan identifies you as the source of your goods or services rather than simply conveying information. The USPTO refuses slogans it…
Read Article →Yes, and it happens constantly. Two businesses can use the same name lawfully when their goods, services, or markets are far enough apart that no…
Read Article →Forming an LLC does not give you trademark rights. The two protect entirely different things: an LLC separates your personal assets from your…
Read Article →Searching the USPTO database yourself is free. A full clearance search performed by an attorney typically costs a few hundred dollars, and is…
Read Article →Your registration covers the goods and services you listed, not everything you sell. What you can and cannot amend, and what to do when the business grows into new classes.
Read Article →501(c)(3) status does not protect your name. What your Articles, determination letter and solicitation registration actually do, why nonprofit name disputes are so common, and when to register.
Read Article →A strict six-month deadline to file a Statement of Use or an extension, capped at 36 months. What the filing must contain, which specimens get refused, and what to do if you have missed it.
Read Article →The 501(c)(6) trade association, explained. The line-of-business test, the particular-services trap that costs groups their exemption, and why member dues are not charitable contributions.
Read Article →Lobby without limit, but no deductible donations. The 60-day Form 8976 notice, the $20-per-day penalty for missing it, and how to decide between (c)(3) and (c)(4).
Read Article →A request for more information is normal, not a rejection. What the questions usually cover, how to answer them, and what happens to your application if you miss the deadline.
Read Article →Brand Registry will not let you in without one. Word mark vs design mark, the exact-match rule, and the verification code that goes to whoever is listed on your trademark record.
Read Article →Who has to use it, what you attach, why the narrative decides the outcome, Schedule H and scholarship approval, and the parts that draw follow-up questions.
Read Article →The eligibility worksheet, the $275 user fee, how to pick an NTEE code, the 27-month rule, and the five things applicants get wrong.
Read Article →Tax-exempt is about your organization. Tax-deductible is about your donor. Which organizations can receive deductible gifts, and what your receipts must say.
Read Article →Not every nonprofit is a 501(c)(3). What a social club is, what the IRS requires, the 35% and 15% nonmember limits, and the one question that decides which section you need.
Read Article →501(c)(3) status alone is not enough. Who to register with, the small charities application, the required disclosure statement, and the annual renewal.
Read Article →Copyright protects your songs, not your name. The classes that matter for artists, the consent statement, and the merch trap.
Read Article →A handle is a licence from the platform, not ownership. Which classes a creator actually needs and how the merch refusal works.
Read Article →The brokerage brand stays behind when you move. The surname refusal, the classes to file in, and what your brokerage agreement may already say.
Read Article →Entity registration and bar licensing confer no brand rights. Class 45, the surname problem, and the bar advertising rules that still apply.
Read Article →Typing your name into the USPTO database and seeing nothing come back answers a narrower question than the one that matters. Six places to look, and the variations most people never search.
Read Article →Form 990 deadlines, state annual reports, and charitable registration renewals — plus the three-year rule that revokes tax-exempt status automatically, with no warning letter and no discretion.
Read Article →The USPTO fee is the same either way. What differs is the office action you cannot answer, the refused application that forfeits the fee, and the rebrand years later.
Read Article →IRS filing fees are $275 or $600 depending on which form you qualify for, plus $35–125 in state incorporation fees. A plain-language breakdown of what a 501(c)(3) actually costs.
Read Article →Scotland’s Tartan Army donated over $20,000 to charities across host cities — a children’s hospital, a Pipe Band, and a men’s mental health organization — with no sponsors and no campaign behind it.
Read Article →What an Office Action means, the difference between procedural and substantive refusals, deadlines, and how responses are built.
Read Article →The spectrum of trademark distinctiveness, why descriptive names get refused, and how to pick a brand worth protecting.
Read Article →A clear guide to the three main forms of intellectual property, what each covers, how long it lasts, and which your business needs.
Read Article →The state filing creates your LLC; the operating agreement decides how it runs and what happens when owners disagree.
Read Article →Why an LLC and an S-corp are not the same kind of thing, when the S election saves tax, and what it costs in administration.
Read Article →Why Florida nonprofits must register before soliciting donations, what the filing involves, and when other states require registration too.
Read Article →Board size, independence, and the composition issues that cause IRS follow-up questions on a tax-exemption application.
Read Article →What belongs in nonprofit bylaws, what should stay out, and the provisions that prevent governance disputes later.
Read Article →The eligibility rules, trade-offs, and hidden risks of the short-form IRS exemption application compared with the full Form 1023.
Read Article →What 501(c)(3) status actually means, the three tests your nonprofit must satisfy, and what exemption does and does not give you.
Read Article →Learn how the IRS evaluates public support, what counts toward the public support test, and practical strategies to help maintain your nonprofit's public charity status.
Read Article →Understand the differences between nonprofit organizations and traditional businesses to choose the legal structure that best supports your goals.
Read Article →Compare the legal, tax, and operational differences between public charities and private foundations before forming your nonprofit.
Read Article →Our DIY resource library has attorney-created checklists and templates for common legal tasks.
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