Visual Artists Commission Contracts for Artists: Protecting Your IP, Preventing Scope Creep, and Getting Paid When Projects Die A commissioned painting, illustration, or photograph cannot be work-for-hire — no matter what the contract says. Here is what your commission contract needs to cover: copyright ownership, scope creep prevention, kill fees, and the payment structure that protects you when projects die.
Hardware Founders Your Day Job Might Own Your Startup's IP: The Clean Separation Playbook for Deep-Tech Founders Most hardware engineers sign invention assignment agreements without reading them — and those agreements reach further than you think. What California and six other states protect, and the operational playbook for building your startup's IP without contaminating it with your employer's.
Streamers Talent Agreements with Managers and Agencies: Leverage Points for Streamers Signing with a manager or agency could double your earnings — or lock you into a deal you can't get out of. Here's what every streamer should negotiate before they sign.
Musicians Your Music Is Being Used to Train AI. Here's What You Can Actually Do About It. AI companies trained on tens of millions of recordings — including yours — without consent. Here's what the lawsuits mean, what opt-outs exist, and the steps you can take to protect your catalog now.
Musicians DIY Release Agreements: What Independent Musicians Need to Lock Down Before Distributing Most independent releases have at least one contract problem — you just never signed anything. This guide covers the collaboration agreements, split sheets, producer deals, and distribution terms every indie musician needs before uploading a single track.
Startup Central Startup Domain Strategy: Trademark Protection, UDRP Disputes, and Defensive Registration Many startups treat a domain as a quick technical purchase — secure the .com , ship the landing page, move on.
Intellectual Property & Branding Trademark Lifespan and Renewals: A Complete Guide for Startups and Growing Companies For startups and growing companies, a trademark is more than a name or logo — it's a core brand asset that can drive demand, partnerships, and valuation.
Startup Central Startup Brand Protection: Domains, Trademarks, and Enforcement Strategy For most startups, your public brand begins with a name and a domain . That makes early branding decisions unusually visible — and unusually expensive…
Streamers The Brand Deal Contract Checklist: What Every Streamer Needs to Read Before Signing Brand deals come with contracts that most streamers sign without understanding what they're giving away. IP grants, exclusivity restrictions, and performance penalties can all limit your freedom and income long after the campaign ends.
Visual Artists How to Register a Series of Images: Single vs. Group Copyright Registration for Visual Artists Registering 750 photos individually costs up to $48,750 at standard Copyright Office rates. Group registration programs cut that to $55 — but there are eligibility rules, work caps, and a 3-month window that determine whether you keep your right to statutory damages.
Musicians Copyright Registration for Music: The Two-Work Trap and How to Actually Register a Song Most independent musicians register only the recording, leaving the composition unprotected. A practical guide to PA versus SR, combined claims, GRAM and GRUW, the three-month statutory damages window, and how to avoid the traps that void registrations.
Musicians PRO Disputes: How ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC Actually Enforce — and What Musicians Should Know ASCAP and BMI operate under federal antitrust consent decrees; SESAC and GMR don't. A practical guide to how each PRO actually enforces, what songwriters and venue operators should do when a demand letter arrives, and three traps that turn small disputes into expensive ones.
Musicians Sync Licensing Basics: What the TV-and-Film Deal Actually Says Every sync placement is two licenses (composition + master) and a stack of clauses that decide what the production can do, where, and for how long. A practical guide to deal terms, traps, performance royalties, and what to negotiate before you sign.
Visual Artists Copyright Registration for Image Series: When to File Single, Group, or Unpublished Photo Registrations Visual artists with series work face a registration choice that decides fees, statutory damages, and what evidence holds up at trial. A practical map of single, group, and unpublished registration paths — with the gating questions that pick your filing form.
Streamers DMCA Counter-Notice Playbook: How Streamers Fight Copyright Strikes (And When Not To) A copyright strike on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, or Kick can take down your video in hours and threaten your channel. The DMCA counter-notice is your statutory tool to fight back — but it's a sworn legal document, not a support ticket. Here's how the mechanics work and when to use them.
Game Studios AI-Generated Assets in Your Game: Who Owns Them, and What Do You Have to Disclose? Fully AI-generated game assets have no copyright protection under current U.S. law. Your contractor's IP assignment clause may transfer nothing when they use AI tools. Steam requires disclosure before you can ship. Here's what to do about all three.
Visual Artists NFT and Blockchain Art: What Legal Questions Survived the Bubble The NFT market collapsed. The legal questions didn't. Artists still face unsettled issues around what buyers actually own, why royalties stopped paying out, and what happens to art stored on platforms that no longer exist.
Game Studios Indie Game Studio Formation and IP Basics: What Every Dev Needs to Know Entity formation, IP ownership, copyright registration, and trademark protection — the legal fundamentals every indie game studio needs before shipping.
AI Law AI Startup Legal Compliance: Where Tech Law, Privacy, and IP Intersect AI-native and data-intensive product design is now the default: LLM features ship behind a toggle, analytics run continuously, and customer data flows…
Trademark How Long Do Trademarks Last? Lifespan, Renewal Deadlines, and What Happens If You Miss One Trademarks are often a startup’s most valuable brand asset — and one of the easiest to lose through simple calendar mistakes.
Intellectual Property & Branding Trademark Symbols ®, ™, ℠: The Complete Guide (When and How to Use Each) ™, ®, and ℠ each carry different legal meaning under the Lanham Act. A complete attorney-written guide to what each trademark symbol means, when you may use it, how to type each on every platform, and the six mistakes founders make most often.
Startup Central Domain Name and Trademark Strategy: UDRP, Cybersquatting, and Brand Protection for Startups Most startups lock in a domain early (often the only available .com or a trendy .ai ) and postpone trademark work until fundraising diligence — or a…
Intellectual Property & Branding Trademark Renewal and Maintenance: USPTO Deadlines, Section 8, and Avoiding Cancellation For startups and SMBs, a trademark is often one of the most valuable “portable” assets you own — but it’s easy to treat a USPTO registration like a…
Trademark Trademark Lifespan and Renewal: How Long Protection Lasts, What Happens If It Expires, and How to Keep It Alive If your trademark is a core business asset, its “lifespan” is not just a legal technicality: missing a maintenance or renewal deadline can quietly…
Startup Central Startup Legal Guide: Entity Formation, Equity, Fundraising, Contracts & IP for Early-Stage Founders Most early-stage legal mistakes don't happen because founders are careless — they happen because the team is moving fast without a basic map.
