The Limits of Legal Self-Help
If you have limited experience with business contracts or software licensing issues, legal self-help approaches can be very dangerous.
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Legal Issues
Collecting Unpaid Bills
In 1995 I did some work for one of the early web startups in Palo Alto. They had delivered a number of database driven websites using a proprietary software technology that they had developed, and had sold the technology to several firms. But they had a problem collecting unpaid bills: they had not been paid
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Inventors & IP Management: Bill Meade Interview
I was delighted when Bill Meade, President of Basic IP Management, Inc. agreed to an interview about managing innovation and intellectual property (IP) to maximize profits. Bill served as Intellectual Property Manager and Future Products Manager at Hewlett-Packard, where he “lit the fire” that moved HP from #18 in US patenting to #3. He has
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George Grellas on Insightful vs. “Window Dressing” Advisory Boards
George Grellas offered some great advice on the difference between insightful and “window dressing” advisory boards on Hacker News I have reprinted here with his permission
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Eleven Work Weeks–Or Less–Left in 2009
Eleven Work Weeks–Or Less–Left in 2009 I blogged about end of year issues last November in “6 Work Weeks or Less in 2008” and I thought I would issue the “Warning Dates in Calendar are Closer Than They Appear” a little earlier this year because a lot of new businesses need to take action in
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Bootstrappers Breakfast Is Now a Registered Trademark
“Bootstrappers Breakfast” was registered June 23, 2009 as a trademark of SKMurphy, Inc. “For education services, namely providing live and on-line seminars, workshops, and mentoring sessions in the field of entrepreneurship.” No claim is made to the exclusive right to use “breakfast” apart from “Bootstrappers Breakfast.” Details as they unfold: we will do six breakfasts
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Protecting Your Invention – Topic for Upcoming Breakfast
Pete Tormey, a registered patent agent, will give a briefing on “Protecting Your Invention.” at Milpitas Bootstrappers Breakfast Feb-13-2009.
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Paul Lippe on an Entrepreneur’s Accountability
Paul Lippe is CEO of Legal OnRamp, a community of practice website for lawyers. He did a guest post on the AmLaw Daily Blog “Welcome to the Future: Leadership, Accountability, and Swimwear” that I enjoyed, in particular his observations on the entrepreneur’s accountability were worth bearing in mind in 2009. Paul Lippe on an Entrepreneur’s
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How I Avoid Sending Email I Regret
I have several rules of thumb I follow to avoid sending and email I regret. I don’t hit send after 8pm, or when I am angry, or when the other person is angry, or when a phone call is called for.
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Why NDA Is Not On the Startup Maturity Checklist
Some startups ask for an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) before sharing any details about their product. This is a recipe for disaster.
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We Sign NDA’s
We get asked “Will you sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement?” fairly often, to the point that we are proactive, suggesting that a prospect take a look at our Mutual NDA [PDF] and sign it if it would increase their comfort level. A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) allows us to have a deeper and more useful discussion. We
Legal Issues: Q&A with Pete Tormey of Action Patents
Today I was able to sit down with Pete Tormey, founder of Action Patents. Pete is a registered patent agent who specializes in providing patents for Software, Electronics, Life Science Instrumentation and Business Methods. Legal Issues: Q&A with Pete Tormey of Action Patents From blogs to entrepreneurial events, patents are always a controversial topic. This
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Larry Sonsini Profiled in Fortune Nov-27-06
Larry Sonsini Profiled in Fortune Nov-27-06 I have been catching up on my reading and came across a profile of Larry Sonsini in Fortune’s Nov-27-06 print edition. The article in the print edition is titled “The Man To See In The Valley” but “Scandals rock Silicon Valley’s top legal ace” in the on-line version. It’s part
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