“Create! And protect your creations!” We reiterate this to our clients here at the firm nearly every day. These critical steps are necessary, but not, in and of themselves, sufficient. Truth be told, even after both these critical steps are taken, it is often quite difficult for our small business clients to enforce their rights […]

We are pleased and humbled to announce that Al Davis has been selected as a National Black Lawyers Top 100 honoree in California. The National Black Lawyers is an honorary membership organization dedicated to promoting legal excellence and is comprised of the nation’s premier African American attorneys. The selection for this high honor is based […]

You may not have heard that the U.S. Trademark and Copyright Laws have been updated a bit. New for 2021 are a series of changes to the laws that may affect you as a creator or business owner. On December 27, 2020, the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 and the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement […]

Warning! Did you take that pic you’re about to use to promote your goods or services? Did you hire someone to take the pic? Do you have a written agreement with the photographer? Does that agreement have a “work for hire” provision? Listen, don’t allow your friendly relationship today with the photographer to lead you […]

Antebellum: Existing before war, especially American Civil War (Merriam-Webster) This summer, as our nation began in earnest a reckoning regarding the vestiges of the evil institution of slavery, a popular country music band decided it only proper to jettison this term from its band name.  Lady Antebellum announced it would no longer go by that […]

You ever thought about who owns that fly piece of tattoo art you just had inked onto your body? It’s indelibly etched into your skin so… you own it, right? Uh…not so fast. Copyright protection in the U.S. for an original artistic work springs into existence the moment it is created and fixed in a […]

Because the process for obtaining a patent in the United States is quite complicated and can be quite expensive, I decided to present this article for current and future patent owners, so you are aware of a huge potential pitfall.  The issue is “patent marking.” A key benefit of investing in and obtaining your valuable […]

You caught them! They stole your work! It’s as clear as day. Your art is being sold on t-shirts on their website.  What can be done? Sue, right!? Well, lawsuits are expensive.  It can often be quite difficult to determine if going after that infringer is financially viable for you or your business.  Even if […]

Hear ye, hear ye! This week the Supreme Court of the United States of America has issued a unanimous ruling! Yes! This Court! Unanimous! And, appropriately, the unanimous opinion was delivered by Justice Ruth Ginsburg after returning to work post cancer surgery. The case: Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, No. 17-571. What’s […]

I recently received word from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO” or “Office”) that one of my firm’s celebrity clients had submitted paperwork to make changes to their official trademark registration records.  That struck me as odd. My firm has represented this particular client for many years.  If any changes were to be […]