Blog

“SNOOPING INTO YOUR COMPETITORS’ BUSINESS PLANS”

(What Their Trademark Filings Reveal) Read on to see how this resolutely ties in to trademarks Every month on behalf of my clients, and to keep tabs on the industry, I personally search and review every trademark in the industry.  I like to know who’s filing what, and even who’s doing the filing.  I can sometimes get a peek behind the curtain when a major company has their lawyers file an application even before a potential new product is announced, and with trademarks being selected to suggest characteristics of the product, it can be very revealing. My  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | September 18, 2018 | Business, Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice, How To, Intellectual Property Advice, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »

“Thank You U.S. Congress”

Words I Thought I'd Never Utter If You're a Firearms Innovator It’s been five years since Congress enacted sweeping patent law changes that transformed how my clients earn patent rights.  I try to be observant and to follow the trends, especially in my small specialized world where law, technology, and guns intersect.  But I managed to underestimate the significance on what I think is the biggest thing to happen in United States Patent Law in my lifetime. Look at the chart to the left.  If you saw that explosive exponential pattern anywhere, you’d know  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | August 16, 2018 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

How to Get Top Dollar for Your Company in 5 Years

Almost five years ago I wrote that headline. Those who took the advice that month would be in negotiations for a transaction that closes early next year. Since I wrote that, we’ve been through several cycles of “Smart money is acquiring companies” and “Nobody is investing!” The lesson here is not to rely on the current climate to drive your optimism about selling your company in the years ahead. The key is to prepare now for the possibility that the right economy, the right buyer, and the right situation in your life might possibly arise at the right time in the  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | July 13, 2018 | Business, Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice, How To | 0 Comments Read More »

The World’s Most Famous Shooter?

How to Avoid Annoying Fans? At last month’s NRA show in my hometown, I was happy to bump into Donald Trump Jr. to offer him a copy of my book. As you can see, he’s carrying a shopping bag in each hand. Smart celebrity trick to avoid shaking every hand at public events, and having to accept books being thrust at you from patent lawyers. I trust that the bags weren’t just decoys, but were filled with goodies from every gun company he visited. After all, who wouldn’t want to have such a prominent shooter and gun guy using their gear? That got me to thinking.  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | June 5, 2018 | Business, Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice | 0 Comments Read More »

How To Preserve Your Patent Rights – Even Before You Can Afford To

My “Lifeboat” Patent Strategy Re-Explained Sometimes a topic is important enough to revisit after a few years.  This one reexamines the frequent question of how to “extend” a provisional patent application beyond its natural 12-month life. My readers all know that the smart start for a small inventor or a new company with an invention to protect is a Provisional patent application. For a low flat fee of $1000, and with my personal guidance and coaching, we earn First-to-File “Patent Pending” status by filing an inventor-created document that I review  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 10, 2018 | Business, How To, Intellectual Property Advice | 0 Comments Read More »

How to Debate Gun Control with a Persuasion Genius

You gave me such a good response to last month’s newsletter that I’m staying political this month. Readers may know I’m a big fan of Dilbert creator Scott Adams for his uncannily predictive observations on Trump and persuasion matters.  He happens to be a pot-smoking California liberal, but I truly admire his open mind and fresh way of looking at things.  I highly recommend both his autobiographical How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big and the recent explanation of Trump’s success Win Bigly. He’s the reason I stopped wasting time on Facebook to  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | March 29, 2018 | Firearms, How To, Opinion Pieces | 0 Comments Read More »