LegalMe

A SOW sounds like a giant pig but in legal terms it is considered a "Statement of Work". According to the business dictionary a SOW is defined as,"Detailed description of the specific services or tasks a contractor is required to perform under a contract. SOW is usually incorporated in a contract, indirectly by reference or directly as an attachment". In other words it is the beginnings of a contract and details between two entities is under common law practices. In todays digital age certain contract formalities have become less rigorous due to the lower cost for jobs especially when it comes to freelance work. Smaller scope projects are not costing thousands of dollars due to the supply of freelancers and companies I have discussed like Fiverr and Upwork. Accord ing to th e, "Payoneer's 2018 Income Survey indicates that hourly rates for freelancers fall between $11 and $28 depending on the industry, with the average income for freelancers being ...

This post summarizes the key points of what it means to get a trademark. I explain what a trademark is, some of the key points in the filing process, and the fact that this process without an attorney is very difficult. It may seem like a boring topic to look at but if you want to learn more about protecting your logo/brand and the hours working on your startup, read on!  According to the uspto.gov, "a trademark is generally a word, phrase, slogan, symbol, or design, or combination thereof, that identifies the source of your goods and services and distinguishes them from the goods and services of another party.  That is, a trademark lets consumers know that the goods or services come only from you and not from someone else". Essentially the trademark allows you to keep what brand you have created and if anyone tried to copy that to use as a good or service you would have legal obligation to go after them. It also gives the consumer an opportunity ...

In my journey as an entrepreneur and being apart of different early stage ideas I began to question how I could protect my idea. Whats stopping someone from completely stealing my concepts, logos, processes? The realization came when I started to work with others on the idea via Upwork and Fivver. These websites allow for you to build out concepts of your idea in many different forms by hiring a freelancer to do it for you. Using these sites was about me furthering the idea and at the same time I wondered about why it was challenging to figure out if I was protected or not via the company. Did I need my own non-disclosure agreement. In researching Upwork, which is the website used consistently in my process of developing ideas, I found out they offer suggestions to make sure you have whoever is working with you sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) also known as an IP Assignment. I came to the conclusion that I felt uneasy about giving someone my information about the idea and ...

As a young entrepreneur I have successfully started a few companies. I started this blog in order to further understand the How's and Why's people start companies and the different legal decisions that go into setting up a company that can stand the test of time without problems down the road. In my own process of creating a non-profit and for profit company, I have found the process of getting legal help challenging and not incredibly efficient. There are sites out there like LegalZoom.com who claim to help people of small businesses with legal advice and tasks in order to further their idea. LegalZoom LLC as an example puts you to someone who you cannot really trust. I just don't find that process to be efficient and working with an attorney can be time consuming and money consuming. In a startup the point is to take your idea to reality as quickly as possible in order to fill the gap in the market before someone else does. Each post I am going to end with...