Online Incorporation MaxBlog

Sadly, many business owners fail to protect inventions or trade secrets. Down the road, they may find an unexpected competitor who is using methods you crafted or offers a product very similar to yours. Business owners often don’t think their company name, product or service is an asset but it is.

Obtaining a trademark is one way to protect these assets. A type of “intellectual property”, trademark’s basic concept is to prevent unfair competition. Patents and copyrights are the other types of intellectual property that mainly protect inventors, artists and literary writers.

While it isn’t mandatory to register a trademark to receive protection, registering with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Principal Register means more protection than the generic “common-law” designations.

Advantages of USPTO protections include:

• Notice to the general public of the registrant’s claim of ownership
• Registrant’s exclusive right to use the signature ® symbol nationwide on all goods and/or services listed in the registration
• Ability to bring legal action regarding the trademark in federal court
• Use a basis to obtain trademark registration in other countries
• Ability to file registration with the U.S. Customs Service to prevent foreign goods from being imported into the U.S.

The USPTO application process takes 10-12 months. While the application is processing, you may use the ™ symbol for trademarks and the symbol for service marks. You are not permitted to use the ® symbol until your product is listed as “registered” with the USPTO.

Current regulations require a trademark be renewed every 10 years.

Read some examples of trade secrets in the online incorporation knowledge center at MaxFilings.com. And once you are ready to form a corporation , do it easily online in 10 minutes or less, or fill out the forms, save and finish them at your convenience.

Economic confidence among entrepreneurs ticked up slightly in June according to a survey conducted by the Discover Small Business Watch. The index rose to 80.9, up from 78.1 in May according to a Daily Dose blog post at Entrepreneur.com.

According to the data, the increase is attributed to better cash flows…the number of business owners experiencing temporary cash flow problems dropped 8 points in June from near 50% to 42%.

Also increasing is the number of entrepreneurs who think economic conditions are improving – up 3 points from 23% in May to 26% in June.

Much of the news regarding the recession and entrepreneurship has centered on laid-off workers looking to form a business but the survey indicates another trend – many entrepreneurs would rather find a good paying job since it’s harder to get business and deal with regulations.

And on healthcare reform, a topic included in this month’s survey, 78% of respondents do not offer insurance. Nearly 50% of these employers opposed a government-run health care plan. Of the ones that do offer insurance, 62% oppose government mandated health insurance.

If you’re feeling more confident, now may be the time to incorporate online…MaxFilings.com has a proven online system where you can form a corporation in 10 minutes of less. Or save your information and return when it’s convenient for you.

Many of the entrepreneur guides today recommend forming an advisory board…but a surprising number of entrepreneurs ignore this advice according to an interesting article by Mary Sullivan at the First Year blog.

It’s hard to know why entrepreneurs ignore this advice – perhaps they don’t understand the role of an advisory board or think they can find everything online. While there’s a lot of useful information on the Internet, nothing takes the place of advice specific to your situation.

At a minimum, an advisory board should include a legal and financial/tax advisor and any other area you lack the necessary experience to make your business run.

After incorporating online, you’re not likely going to have a large management team in place so a group of people to float ideas with and get their perspective. It’s best to meet as a group, usually each month.

In addition to advice, your advisors will pass your name along to their friends and business associates, giving you support at a critical time.

Read Mary’s article for more tips on forming an advisory board…and once you are ready to form a corporation, take care of it easily online in as short as 10 minutes at MaxFilings.com.