Have you ever sat down to a big round table with a bunch of industry folks, and the conversation just didn’t quite get off the ground? I had dinner some time ago with a good client, but with a bunch of key people I didn’t yet know very well. When the conversation stalled, I got out my conversational secret weapon: “So what hobbies and enthusiasms do y’all have [...]
How to Get Ahead of the Rest at the Dawn of the Trump/Musk Era Can you feel it? Since the election things are VERY different. Overnight, things have changed profoundly. Most people, even most business owners are slow to act on these changes. Everyone feels it, but most wait until they get proof with their own eyes, and end up missing out on the best [...]
Unpatented but Legally Potent (Photo Courtesy of Randall Rausch) It all started when I was on Facebook, innocently minding my own business. OK, as usual I was actually minding everyone else’s business on Facebook. Sometimes, when Karmen hears me typing furiously in the next room she calls out: “Honey, is someone wrong on the Internet again?” I have a zillion [...]
The Surprises and Secrets of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) Photo Credit: Oleg Volk In the patent world, one of the most important, yet surprisingly overrated, issues is secrecy. Yet while it’s a needless fear for many, it can make sense to protect yourself when you have to trust someone else with your secrets. An NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) is also known as a [...]
It’s a story I have told for years: I had lunch with a new client. He has some great technology, and a strong foundation for a new business. And I faced the too-frequent dilemma when confronted by a lousy trademark he wanted to adopt. Do I tell him my actual opinion, or do I salute and earn the reward of helping him register a weak brand name that will impair the [...]
Gossip, Tips, and Hacks After My 22nd SHOT-iversary Serenity on the 10th Floor? This was easily the best SHOT Show ever. After 22 years, I’m starting to get the hang of it. (Confession: I now count my SHOT Show attendance years to include the Covid year and the skipped mask mandate year. My first was 2002, and that’s where I count from.) My show is [...]
