1.
• 1:1 Consulting
• Personalized
• Business start, development & growth
• Help businesses get “investor-ready”
• High-tech, high-growth, scalable
• Life Science & Technology Sectors
• UCI Resources
• No Cost
SBDC - Small Business Development Center
A Resource for Ventures from Idea to Exit

2.
SBDC Services and Expertise
• General Business Consulting
• Funding/Pitching
• Term Sheets
• Equity & Debt Funding
• SBIR/STTR
• Technology Commercialization
• Sales & Marketing Strategy
• Board of Directors/Advisory Board Assistance
• Hiring and Staffing

3.
Start
Grow
Finance your business
SBA.gov

4.
Located next to “The Beach” @ the Cove
julie.cranston@uci.edu
SBDCtech.com

5.
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY, CONTRACTS
AND WEBSITES…
OH MY!
TIPS TO HELP YOU AVOID LEGAL
TROUBLES AND CREATE VALUE
FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Stephanie Pottick, Esq.
E-mail: Stephanie@PottickLaw.com Tel: (714) 833-2192
Web: PottickLaw.com © 2019 Pottick
Law PC

6.
A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT
ME…
 Former toy industry executive experienced
in product creation, brand protection,
licensing, manufacturing, marketing, safety
and logistics.
 Passionate about helping entrepreneurs and
corporations protect their brands and
businesses.
 My slogan is “Legal Advice Before You Need
A Lawyer®” because protecting yourself now
can help make you money and avoid costly
lawsuits in the future.
E-mail: Stephanie@PottickLaw.com Tel: (714) 833-2192
Web: PottickLaw.com © 2019 Pottick Law PC

7.
A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT
YOU…
 Student?
 Business owner?
 Do you sell Products?
 Do you sell Services?
 Do you have an Invention or Idea?
 Starting out?
 Been in business for a while?
 Who owns a trademark?
 Who owns a copyright?
 Who owns a patent?
 Who has a website?
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

8.
BRAND
AND
BUSINES
S
PROTECT
IONIt’s essentially all about
knowing what you have
and how to protect it
and being able to spot
issues before they
become problems.
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

9.
TODAY’S
AGENDA
1. Protect Your INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY (IP)
2. Know What’s In Your
CONTRACTS Before You Sign
Anything
3. Make sure your WEBSITE is
protected
 Wrap Up
 Q & A
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

10.
IDENTIFY
YOUR
INTELLECT
UAL
PROPERTY
The Basics…
 TRADEMARKS
 COPYRIGHTS
 PATENTS
 TRADE SECRETS
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

11.
IDENTIFY
YOUR
INTELLECT
UAL
PROPERTY

TRADEMARKS
Protect brands /
Identify source of
goods & services
Label: TM (or SM) or ®
 Product Names and
Service Names
 Logos
 Taglines
 Non-traditional
 It’s a process…not a
one
and done. © 2019 Pottick Law PC
TM

12.
IDENTIFY
YOUR
INTELLECT
UAL
PROPERTY
 COPYRIGHTS
Artistic Works
Label: ©
 Photographs
 Songs
 Books
 Illustrations
 Logos
 Movies
 Buildings
 And yes, even…Tattoos
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

13.
IDENTIFY
YOUR
INTELLECT
UAL
PROPERTY
 PATENTS
Inventions /
Designs
Label:
Patent Pending or
U.S. Patent No.
_____
 TRADE SECRETS
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

14.
MAKE SURE
YOU OWN
YOUR
INTELLECT
UAL
PROPERTY
Do you know whether you OWN
your Intellectual Property?
The answer is probably “NO” even if
you paid for it!
Examples:
 Logos
 Photographs
 Website Design & Content
 Videos
 Illustrations
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

15.
IF YOU
DON’T
OWN THE
IP, MAKE
SURE
YOU HAVE
PERMISSIO
N
TO USE IT
 Is it okay to use what you find online?
 Copyright infringement can cost up to
$150,000 per infringement, plus
attorney’s fees.
 Just because something is online doesn’t
mean it’s okay to use.
 Read the fine print. If you don’t know, ask.
Some places to consider use:
 Websites
 Marketing materials
 Blogs
 Slide presentations
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

16.
THE
BOTTOM
LINE ON IP
OWNERSHI
P
 Make sure you know if you own
the IP to the item you want to use
or whether you have permission
to use it.
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

17.
PROTECT
YOUR
INTELLECT
UAL
PROPERTY
Ideally, the time to protect your IP is
before you launch or present your
idea or brand to a third party…this
should help prevent someone from
stealing it.
 Trademarks
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
 Patents
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
 Copyrights
U.S. Copyright Office
 Trade Secrets
Keep them a secret!
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

18.
LICENSIN
G
 Licensing is the ability to make
additional money from your
Intellectual
Property.
 You must have something
protectable in
order to license it out.
 Or you can license in a property
to get
new business and grow
your business.
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

19.
WHAT’S IN A
NAME?
Business Names vs. Domain
Names vs. Trademarks
What’s the Difference?
 A business name is different (but
related
to) a domain name, which is
different (but
related to) a trademark.
 Getting one does not necessarily
mean you
have rights to the others.
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

20.
WHAT DO
YOUR
CONTRACT
S SAY?…
Know what your contracts
say before you sign them!
 Once you sign something,
you’re probably stuck with it!
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

21.
WHAT CAN
GO
WRONG?
 Anything not in writing is a
potential lawsuit waiting to
happen.
 You can sign away your
rights!
 You may not get what you
want.
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

22.
DO YOU
HAVE A
WEBSITE?
…
 If you have a website, you
want WEBSITE TERMS to
protect your company.
 If you sell something, you
want sales terms and a return
policy.
 If you take in any
information, you need a
PRIVACY POLICY.
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

23.
WRAP UP
Protect Your INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY (IP)
Identify, Own and Protect Your IP
Know What’s In Your CONTRACTS
Before You Sign Anything
What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
Make sure your WEBSITE is protected
Website Terms; Return Policy;
Privacy Policy
© 2019 Pottick Law PC

24.
IT’S ALL FUN
AND GAMES
UNTIL
SOMEONE
ENDS UP IN A
LAWSUIT®
© 2019 Pottick Law PC
Avoid a lawsuit!
Simple steps you take today
to protect your brand and
your business can make a
huge impact on the success
of your company!

25.
GET IN TOUCH!
STEPHANIE@POTTICKLAW.COM
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY, CONTRACTS
AND WEBSITES…
OH MY!
Q & A