Too Big to Fail? Remington’s Bizarre “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” Campaign It was fourteen years ago that I wrote about one of our industry friends playing an interesting voicemail at the SHOT Show. Consider all that has changed since then. These friends are innovators, with some valuable patents in their portfolio. Because Remington liked one of their inventions, [...]
Branding Strategy for My New Product Finally, I can now reveal how a trademark attorney picks brands, and even goes a bit overboard to maximize the potential value of the venture. It’s all about my hex key tool invention concept I wrote about some time ago. To recap, I used to get irritated with needing two Allen wrench sets and never knowing whether a socket head [...]
A typical marketing consultant would tell me I’m crazy to reveal the secrets in this month’s newsletter, but I have to be honest with my readers: Y’all worry too much*. *Yes, you might have detected a change in my language since our relocation to Texas now more than 10 years ago. DFW is now our home port. The classic marketers say that the two greatest [...]
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 [...]
Most people aren’t afraid to invest in what they need, but few people want to learn later that they overpaid, or didn’t get a good value. So even though it’s the first time I’ve been asked the question, I can understand why a careful entrepreneur would ask it. He’s simply asking: “Please tell me why I’m not a sucker to pay you what seems like ten times what [...]
