QUESTION:
One of our founders asked, “Do you know where I can download an NDA and an agreement for the assignment of inventions. I just need the basic boilerplate documents.
ANSWER:
Category: Legal & IP (Page 5 of 7)
QUESTION:
Can I simply abandon a California corp and leave it blowing in the wind? I started a company a while back, and it didn’t work out. Since then, I’ve moved on to another profitable venture. Instead of bothering to close down the old company, can I simply abandon it. What will happen? Am I liable for anything like taxes?
ANSWER:
QUESTION:
I know that my competitors have been granted patents in our space. Should I avoid examining these patents? I’ve heard that if I do, I may be committing willful infringement and have to pay 3 times damages.
ANSWER:
QUESTION:
I’m an amateur angel. I put money into a tech startup, and the CEO spent the money on “personal” travel and other questionable things. I don’t think what he did was ethical or good for the business. But is it ever worth suing a startup that has no money left and is clearly about to go under?
ANSWER:
Soody Tronson
by Soody Tronson at Soody Tronson Law Group
In considering the information below (available from USPTO website and its perspective of course), please keep in mind that it is a general collection of programs, and that there are many pros and cons and nuances in determining whether any of these are either applicable or beneficial to your situation.
QUESTION:
We’re a California LLC. Both of us own half the company. We have no other agreement in place. What happens if one partner wants to leave the LLC? What rights does that partner have after leaving?
ANSWER:
QUESTION:
I’m an exec at a startup, and there’s a lot of talk about a possible merger. If there’s a merger, what will happen to my unvested options?
ANSWER:
submitted by Sood Tronson at The Soody Tronson Law Group
We found this flow chart depicting the patent process to be very enlightening. Feast your eyes on this…
Patent Flow Chart
QUESTION:
I would like to commercialize an invention of mine in the field of photovoltaics through a corporate partner. The challenge with my idea and field are that A) the invention does not have any obvious applicability to other industries; and B) the solar industry is so competitive nowadays that I suspect a corporate partner will demand a high level of exclusivity in order to make a deal. Under these circumstances, do you have any advice about the best way to set up a partnership that maximizes the potential upside to my startup, yet keeps intact a sufficient degree of downside protection (i.e. ensures that all is not lost if the partnership does not go well)?
One idea I thought of along these lines is to give the partner a time window in which they can exclusively license the patent. If the time limit is reached and the partner has not paid a contractually-defined amount of royalties on the patent, the partner would lose its exclusivity. Have you seen a deal structure like this succeed in practice?
QUESTION:
I’m an exec at a startup, and there’s a lot of talk about a possible merger. If there’s a merger, what will happen to my unvested options?
ANSWER:
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