All legal aspects of a business including incorporation, intellectual property and contracts
4
votes
3answers
5k views
Is it legal to display album art and artist images on my website?
I'm working on a music review website and I was wondering what the legality was of displaying album art and artist images on the site. Do I need permission from the labels/artists?
4
votes
3answers
113 views
Domains and trademark issues
When my company first got setup and registered domains, we were unable to get the .com of our company name, as it was already registered. We have all of the other top level domains for our name ...
4
votes
1answer
446 views
Is there any tax advantage or incentive to leave money in an LLC at the end of the tax year?
We're forming a 2 person LLC and part of what we're trying to figure out is how much to leave in the LLC to build up some capital reserves.
Since an LLC is a pass through tax entity if the LLC earns ...
4
votes
2answers
358 views
Conflict of Interest Scenarios
Do any of the following six scenarios give rise to Conflict of Interest, for me and my company and/or for the other person and his company:
I appoint a well-connected professional on my company's ...
4
votes
1answer
190 views
Received a technical co-founder offer contract. Advice
Myself and two partners are the business end of a new start up. We have been looking for a fourth and final co-founder, which would be our programmer. We found one that wants to be a part of what we ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
Do I have a right to my name?
I registered my domain name in Feb 2011. I have been using my domain name as my business name. I just checked trademarks, and there is a company that registered the name in March of 2011. It's not ...
4
votes
2answers
157 views
Is it possible to start a business, but not have my name publicly associated with it?
This sounds ultra fishy, but it really is just for keeping a certain person from determining who is behind a company. I want to start a business with a business name, in any state, and not have my ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Are there any Open Source Digital Signature Solutions that would Comply with Various US Regulations?
We are interested in using digital signature in our extremely paper intensive world. However, we need the signatures to be valid digital signatures. Are there open source solutions available that ...
4
votes
4answers
313 views
Entrepreneurs Ego clash with power game
We are a 7-month old startup, founded by three entrepreneurs with different backgrounds. We do not have any clients yet, but the product is ready and we are already in talks with four clients. One ...
4
votes
4answers
183 views
How should I structure my web start up considering one of my new partners is in Sweden?
I've started a website that has gained significant popularity. While we don't make any money yet I now require the help of another person. The individual that I have brought on lives in Sweden. I want ...
4
votes
3answers
149 views
Patents for Content Management Systems
I'm currently developing a Content Management System designed to manage video media. I have taken a look online and seen that there have been (US) patents filed for content management systems in the ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
How to get license rights for copyrighted images/themes?
How do I go about licensing material for use on t-shirts? For example, pac-man on a shirt. What is a typical licensing arrangement fee structure? If the company you are looking to license an image ...
3
votes
8answers
8k views
What exactly are the risks of using pirated software?
Adobe CS5, for instance. Is the risk solely that the publisher could sue, or is the property that I create with the pirated software also in jeopardy? And as a corollary, what if I use someone else's ...
3
votes
7answers
802 views
Some USA citizen says he will sue me? (I'm a foreigner)
I'm just in a really weird situation, I hope you guys can help me with this.
I have a company in Mexico, we do web design and stuff .. this project (from a USA 50+ guy) was kinda special and I ...
3
votes
8answers
1k views
Is it ridiculous of me to ask for changes to a companies standard NDA agreement?
A client of ours recently asked us to sign their standard NDA. We also deal with many of their competitors. We have not signed any NDA's before. They want us to sign the NDA so that they can share ...
3
votes
3answers
581 views
Is it legal to pay employees or contractors in bitcoin (artificial e-currency)?
I am from central Europe, and there is really HUGE taxation (about 0,44 on wages, 0,2 on goods, so about 55pct goes to taxation black hole).
I got idea - is it useful scenario to pay my employees by ...
3
votes
3answers
974 views
Is it legal to make/sell candy from home?
My wife is really getting into making hard candy from home, including cough drops. She's wanting to start selling them on Etsy. But, we're having trouble finding any information on whether or not it's ...
3
votes
7answers
195 views
How do I go about protecting an idea for a simple but novel physical device?
I have an idea for a simple device that addresses a common problem. I'm sure it could be manufactured cheaply and sold for a large margin. I think I have an idea for effective distribution.
My main ...
3
votes
7answers
315 views
Best source for restriction free photos
I need help finding images with the right licensing for my application.
I need to find images with a license that will allow me to:
Have the users of my web application change the stock photo ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Maintaining LLC control with less than 50% ownership
Hopefully someone can gimme a hand. This is actually a question for a school project, but I've got some ideas kicking in my head for a startup, so I have good cause to know this for personal benefit ...
3
votes
3answers
125 views
Ethical marketing?
I'm a bit confused at the moment... hope someone can help me out. I'd like to hire a temporary internet marketing team to promote my website on the internet.
I'd like them to promote it on ...
3
votes
4answers
206 views
Is it hard to get into the hardware business?
In my head, I see the entry to the hardware business very difficult due to all the patents. Is this true or is it just me?
Say I want to create a simple mobile phone with touch capabilities. What ...
3
votes
3answers
344 views
First steps to starting an LLC?
I would like to get advice from others on what steps I should take before starting an LLC. I want to offer software development services through my company, and just want some pointers on things I can ...
3
votes
6answers
1k views
What's a good book for learning business law? [closed]
Most books on business rarely talk about the legal side of business. After reading some business books I have realised that there's so many things about legal side of business that we have to ...
3
votes
2answers
169 views
What does anti-dilution protection mean in a term-sheet?
My question is in the context of a Term-sheet. I want to know what does anti-dilution preferences mean?
3
votes
3answers
362 views
Creative solution for copyright infringement by UK university
This question is sort of a follow up to:
Creating non-profit startup from open-source software project
Selling using the honor system
Basically, I'm selling software on the honor system for $5 to ...
3
votes
3answers
239 views
I have a site and a company. How do I actually put the site as owned by this company?
Essentially, a site is just something independent that lives on the Web. How do I actually associate that site as being protected under legal liability of my LLC company?
Does it just happen ...
3
votes
4answers
450 views
Should I incorporate myself, use a high end law firm, or somewhere in the middle?
I am launching a startup (who isnt :) ) and while I am not planning on looking for outside funding, I'd like to leave the option on the table in the event that I catch a tiger by the tail (meaning ...
3
votes
3answers
324 views
book name as Tag line for my website — intellectual property issues
I am planning to use the name of a book (about 3-4 yrs old) as the tag line of my website.
Its three words long.
What are the IP issues here, how do i know if i can use it legally or if the author ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Royalty based partnering agreements
I'm working on defining a partnering agreement to be the technical co-founder on a SaaS startup. The founder/CEO has the experience in the service industry which we are targeting, but found that she ...
3
votes
4answers
284 views
What are the pitfalls of incorporating *after* launching a new website with partner(s)?
A friend and I are working on a website which we hope to launch before the end of the year. We would like to put off the actual incorporation for as long as possible (legal, accounting, & other ...
3
votes
3answers
192 views
Is it worth it to create an LLC through Nolo?
Situation
I am in the process of educating myself about the inner workings of an LLC, it's forms of taxation, maximizing deductions, etc. through a couple of books from Nolo, along with Limited ...
3
votes
2answers
114 views
Tracking the receipt of digital documents via the internet
What is the best/cheapest way to:
Known when a digital document is received via the internet,
Know who received it,
Have them sign that they received it, and
Reduce the odds that they will alter or ...
3
votes
2answers
203 views
How to declare income when most/all your income comes from Paypal?
How do I declare my income if all of it comes from paypal ? Most accountants in Portugal (where I live and where this company will be based) don't know how it works... Do I declare it only when I ...
3
votes
5answers
466 views
What's the best way to structure software contracts for small projects?
What are the proper incentives, and workflow processes, for contract development?
3
votes
5answers
878 views
Do I need an NDA for initial meetings with marketing agencies?
We are a new start-up currently building a CRM/Sales team management package that we plan to bring to market in a couple of months (we are based in UK). We already have our launch customers in place ...
3
votes
2answers
177 views
What do I need to know and do before I can run a contest on my website
I intend to eventually run a contest as a promo. Specifically, I'd like to do a random drawing of a pool of registered users that meet certain criteria.
What legal and tax related concerns do I need ...
3
votes
3answers
282 views
How to protect myself from uncommitted co-founders
Two of us came together to work on an idea for a web startup. We end up killing the initial product and a third person joined. A new product is built and launched.
It happens that I'm the technical ...
3
votes
3answers
196 views
Do I have to sell my shares to my cofounder?
Our company ran low on funds about 4 months ago. We decided it would be best If I took on an advisory role and went to work elsewhere to cover my personal expenses. I have vested shares in a large ...
3
votes
3answers
921 views
Is the promise of a contract legally binding?
I promised someone that I would enter into a contract with them in the future. Basically I promised that I'd sell them a website for a fixed price in the future. This was an informal, oral agreement, ...
3
votes
2answers
161 views
Trademarks on company name - would “BodyLife” and “BodyForLife” collide?
I'm trying to understand how similarities in trademarks are dealt with. To take an example (that I used in a previous unrelated question), assuming a trademark existed for "BodyLife", a company ...
3
votes
1answer
90 views
Licensing a compiler which outputs code of a pre-existing programming language
This is a cross-post from stackoverflow; I was told you guys might be more knowlegable in this area...
I have an idea for a project which, ideally, I would like to eventually make money from.
...
3
votes
2answers
216 views
Can I register a domain that includes a registered trademark, such as “firefox-debugger.com”?
I'm planning to build an addon for a platform, can I register a domain name with that platform's name in it?
i.e.
iphone-flashlight.com
firefox-debugger.com
search-onstartups.com
What do you ...
3
votes
7answers
395 views
How do you sign someone on a document over the internet?
I want to sign a freelancer on a legal document, what is the best way to do this?
The document is something like ten pages with the last page containing the place to put the signature.
Is it good to ...
3
votes
4answers
395 views
What's the best way to execute a provisional patent filing?
I'm working on getting a SaaS start-up off the ground. Right now I'm focusing on building a "launch-able" prototype to help me in conversations with potentials partners and investors.
Some of the ...
3
votes
3answers
285 views
What is the process required/recommended to convert a website into an LLC?
Given that I have a website that is making revenue, live in California, and would like it to be claimed under an LLC, what is the process to accomplish this? Should I be forming a sole proprietorship ...
3
votes
6answers
628 views
Family money, now how much ownership do I give them?
I received family money to build a prototype. They gave me money with little questions ask, but expect to have some part of the action if the business actually works.
My question is, what kind of ...
3
votes
4answers
417 views
Legal question + website copy protection?
My work partner and I have just finished to built a new community website about sport.
We also have created a Private Limited Company in UK (with the help of an accountant).
We both don't know ...
3
votes
4answers
227 views
Partnership Gone Bad
For the past 6 months or so I have been working on a project with 2 partners. Here's the breakdown:
Partner 1: Finance, marketing, sales, legal
Partner 2: Product dev, design, branding
Me: Tech, ...
3
votes
1answer
51 views
Canadian Hosting issue
My company is Canadian and I'm planning to purchase a VPS account for my business with a Dallas,TX based company. But I'm being told by a friend that this may be a problem for the following reason:
...
