Firearms Industry Advice

HOW TO PICK BRAND NAMES THAT MAKE YOUR BUSINESS MORE VALUABLE


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  [...]

SHOT Show Bar Exam?


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  [...]

SHOT Show Legal Prep Checklist


As we approach the SHOT Show, it’s important to get your legal ducks in a row, to be sure you aren’t losing valuable rights, or weakening the rights you already have.  Time is short so action may be urgent, but the action needed may be simpler, faster, and cheaper than you think. Pre-SHOT Patent Advice Preserve your patent rights.  The best NDA is a pending patent  [...]

HOW TO FIRE YOUR LAWYER


I'm taking a little risk with this month’s topic, considering that each and every one of my clients reads this newsletter, along with hundreds of firearms industry company owners and leaders.  But I'm willing to risk telling my clients just how, why, and when to change attorneys so that everyone can learn the benefits and the process of transitioning to the right attorney  [...]

HOW TO SEARCH PATENTS FOR GUNS AND FIREARMS TECHNOLOGY


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  [...]

HOW TO PROTECT “COOL”…


 TWO FAMILIAR WAYS TO PROTECT PRODUCT DESIGNS, PLUS A THIRD WAY YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF AND CAN UNDOUBTEDLY AFFORD. Everyone wants a patent. It’s perfectly logical to want to protect a new product.  Technical innovations help set you apart in a crowded marketplace and a patent prevents anyone else from offering your innovation for 20 years. But let’s be honest,  [...]