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A Peek At Your Competition’s Firearms Trademark Strategy

Every month, I personally review every trademark filing made in the firearms industry. In this post I’m going to share some of the secrets I learn from such a snoop, in this case, one from a little over a year ago. In April 2014, there were 121 trademark applications filed in the international class that includes firearms and fireworks. Incidentally, fireworks trademark can be fun. Because trademarks apply only to your goods and services and not to unrelated goods, you might get some good ideas from fireworks trademarks. (I also think that historic military equipment  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | June 1, 2015 | Business, Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice, Intellectual Property Advice, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »

Patent Micro Entity Risks

Good news! You might qualify for reduced patent fees under new patent laws, thanks to a “gift” from Congress to small inventors. The bad news is that it might be too risky to enjoy the benefit. In a change in the patent laws, Congress created a “Micro Entity” status that provides reduced fees for the smallest inventors and start-up companies. Before, there were “Large Entities”  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 25, 2015 | Business, Firearms, Intellectual Property Advice, Legal News | 0 Comments Read More »

What Entrepreneurial Teens Need to Know About Patents and Trademarks

My Rotary Club has a wonderful program that teaches talented teenagers all about how to start a business. It’s a weekend “camp” where teams of teens come up with business ideas, develop business plans, and pitch their idea to “investors” who judge their work. If you’ve ever seen “Shark Tank” on tv, it’s just like that. Except these are kids, the “investors” are volunteers like me, and no money actually changes hands.  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 18, 2015 | Business, Firearms, Intellectual Property Advice, Patent, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »

The Ultimate Ted Talk: Shooting the Breeze (and some guns) with Ted Nugent

Ben and Ted Nugent It was my first ever NRA Annual Meeting, and do I ever have a story to tell! There are lots of “Rock Stars” in our industry, but there’s only one Ted Nugent... (“Thankfully!” - most of his adversaries and some fans would say – he’d probably agree – though I wish there were a thousand like him speaking out as forcefully as he does). I’m an old rock and roll fan, and play the drums pretty seriously these days. I first knew Ted on the AM radio, but didn’t become a true fan of his until after I became a gun nut and read his books  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 11, 2015 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

How to Search Patents

There are a lot of good reasons why my firearms industry clients and other clients want to do a patent search. Sometimes, they’ll hire me to the do the job, but I’d like to offer a reliable resource for doing it yourself. Some patent searches are too formal for do-it-yourself internet work, even by me. In extreme cases, finding the “smoking gun” patent that wins a lawsuit can be worth tens of thousands of dollars invested in a search specialist (someone I would outsource the project to). In some cases, investing a couple thousand dollars in a formal patentability  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 11, 2015 | Books & Resources, Business, Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice, How To, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

Avoiding Trademark Disaster

I love gun dealers. Gun shops are some of my favorite places, and I’ve spent more than a few pleasant hours over the kitchen table of a small gun dealer, taking delivery of a new treasure. Which is why it was so painful when I got a call for help from a gun dealer who was having a very “bad day.” He just got a scary letter from a big law firm demanding that he cease doing business under his current name, and threatening all sorts of financial and criminal penalties. I’m talking about a perfectly honest, legitimate, and honorable guy who thought he’d be making a  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 4, 2015 | Business, Firearms, How To, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »