There is a time and a place for pettiness. Trademark registration ain’t it! When you’re growing your brand, it is important to be informed of common law stipulations and trademark availability. This helps prevent petty legal situations like the one between 'Bring It' dance coach Dianna Williams and the HBCU Southern University.  Listen to this week’s podcast as Attorney LaConya Murray uses the current situation between SU and Dianna Williams, the dancing coach of the Dancing Dolls to emphasize the importance of clearing your brand name before growing your business and the consequences of bringing pettiness to legal registration.  Mentioned in this episode:  Velcro Law Firm Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

Class is in session!  Filing your own trademark is not impossible, but when paperwork comes around, you have to know which class you are registering your mark as. What is a class? What qualifies as a good?  What qualifies as a service? You need to know! If you don't, you could end up limiting how you can use your mark and have to redo the entire trademarking process. Want to save your time? Listen to Attorney LaConya Murray explain what a trademark class is and why it is important to be aware of how you classify your trademark on the application.  Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

Trademarks don’t protect ideas. It's important for business owners to know how to protect their intellectual property, ideas included. Getting excited and jumping the gun on sharing valuable information can have long term consequences and cause you to miss opportunities. Steve Harvey’s Little Big Time podcast shares a prime example. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray explains how to protect your business ideas by using written contracts instead of believing the taboo of trademarks doing the job. Mentioned in this episode: Earn Your Leisure podcast with Steve Harvey  Service Agreement Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

How many trademarks is enough?  You don’t have to be a big brand in order to protect your business like you mean it. Your brand matters and deserves to be protected as such. Trying to fit all of your intellectual property under a single umbrella trademark could do more damage than good. Still not convinced? Listen as Attorney Murray share three reasons of why one trademark is not enough to protect your brand.  Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

Write. It. Down.  What are you agreeing to when you sign a contract? What rights are you signing over? What services are you promising to provide?  Contracts, as discussed in last month’s podcast, have the power to make or break a business. It is important to know what you are signing and agreeing to. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray breaks down what every contract should consist of to ensure healthy business agreement’s between parties. Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

Should you build a brand around your name?  It’s the beginning of a new year and many are stepping into a season of innovation and entrepreneurship. Whether to build a personal brand or a separate brand is one of the most common questions buzzing around. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray gives the inside scoop on the dangers of building a personal brand and explains the best ways to protect your legacy.   Mentioned in this episode: The Founder McDonald’s Founding Family article Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

What is a trademark? How long is the trademark process? Is there any way to speed up the process? Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray discusses this month's topic and answers your general questions from the Genius Insider relating to business or law.  Would you like to submit your own questions to be answered during next week's Murray's Law? Submit here.  Let’s continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and the questions it raised for you. Before you head over there, make sure to share this episode with three people. Visit the Genius Lounge. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here-- https://laconyamurray.com/freecourse

Every Path Looks Different. Jasmine Powers is the CEO of Join the Citizens, an agency providing multimedia content and strategy for companies recruiting and aiming to keep diverse talent. She is sought out for product launches, sales enablement, and demand gen for entertainment, nonprofit, education, finance, tech, and e-commerce brands. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray talks with this Compton, CA native about her entrepreneurial journey and the importance of showing up as your most authentic self.  Mentioned in this episode:   Jasmine Powers  Join the Citizens  Mommy Millionaire  Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike  Join the Genius Insider  Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

Who was first? The recent buzz around the three way claim for a skincare industry trademark has the media in frenzy and wanting to know more about trademarks. Kim Kardashian, Lori Harvey, and the business Beauty Concept LLC have all filed trademarks for a variation of the word ’Skin’ to represent their skincare and beauty businesses. Listen as Attorney LaConya Murray detangles the trademark situation and explains the legal consequences of completing a below average trademark search. Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here

Run your business like you care about it. Too often business owners are forced to rebrand due to not reading contracts and their lack of knowledge pertaining to intellectual property. Listen, you spend too much time and invest too much money in your brand to lose it over a lack of understanding or communication. Listen as Attorney Murray explains what you need to know in order to prevent you from losing your intellectual property.  Mentioned in this episode:   Bakery Lawsuit Article  Copyright Assignment Agreement   Keisha Jones: Not For Play Play  Join the Genius Insider Let's continue the conversation over in the Genius Lounge. Let me know what you thought of the episode and any questions you have. Visit the Genius Lounge. Before you head over there make sure to share this episode with three people. Want to schedule a time to speak with Attorney Murray? Do that here. Not registered in the Protect Your Brand Startup Guide Mini-Course? Register here