Contact Robert Melton, Esq. or submit a business inquiry online.
Intellectual Property
-
Intellectual Property Audit: A Practical Checklist for Small Business Owners
- July 25, 2026
- Posted by: allan
- Categories: Business Law, Intellectual Property
No CommentsMost small businesses own more intellectual property than they realize — and protect less of it than they should. An IP audit is the process of identifying, assessing, and protecting your company’s IP assets. This guide explains how to conduct one and what to do with the results.
-
Copyright Basics for US Business Owners
- June 24, 2026
- Posted by: allan
- Categories: Business Law, Intellectual Property
Copyright protects original creative works automatically upon creation — but registration is required to sue for infringement and recover meaningful damages. This guide explains what copyright protects, what it does not, how registration works, and what business owners need to know about using others’ content.
-
Trademark Registration: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business Owners
- June 23, 2026
- Posted by: allan
- Categories: Business Law, Intellectual Property
Your brand name, logo, and tagline may be your most valuable business assets. Trademark registration with the USPTO gives you nationwide protection and the legal tools to stop infringers. This guide explains how the registration process works and what business owners need to know.
-
Trade Secret Protection for Startups and Growing Businesses
- June 22, 2026
- Posted by: allan
- Categories: Business Law, Intellectual Property
Trade secrets are often a company’s most valuable asset — and the most easily stolen. This guide explains what qualifies as a trade secret, how federal and state law protects them, and what businesses must do to preserve that protection.
-
IP Assignment Agreements: Why Every Startup Needs One
- June 1, 2026
- Posted by: allan
- Category: Startup Law
Without a proper intellectual property assignment agreement, your startup may not actually own the technology, code, or creative work that is supposed to be its core asset. This guide explains what an IP assignment agreement does and why it is non-negotiable.
-
AI and Intellectual Property: Who Owns AI-Generated Content?
- May 24, 2026
- Posted by: allan
- Category: AI Law
When an AI system writes your marketing copy, generates your product images, or drafts your legal documents, a critical question arises: who owns what was created? This guide explores the unsettled intellectual property landscape around AI-generated content.
-
Vendor AI Governance: Audit Rights, Change Notifications, and Contractual Oversight
Most outsourcing contracts contain no mechanism for overseeing vendor AI deployments — no disclosure requirements, no change notifications, no AI-specific audit rights. This post lays out the core contractual provisions needed to maintain visibility, control, and accountability when a supplier’s AI is doing work on your behalf.
August 25, 2026 Read more -
AI Outsourcing Pricing: From FTE-Based to Outcome-Based Models
AI has broken the FTE-based outsourcing pricing model — vendors are capturing productivity gains while customers pay 2023 prices. This post explains the three-level alternative pricing structure (unit-based, performance-based, and shared risk/reward) and what makes each model legally enforceable.
August 24, 2026 Read more -
AI Outsourcing Contracts: What to Renegotiate When AI Automates the Work You Contracted For
Vendors are quietly capturing AI-driven cost savings while customers continue paying 2023 prices under legacy outsourcing agreements. This post explains why FTE-based contracts break down when AI automates the work, and what to renegotiate — pricing model, governance, innovation obligations, and termination rights.
August 23, 2026 Read more -
Key Contractual Provisions for Agentic AI Implementation Agreements
Most businesses deploying agentic AI accept vendor SaaS templates that leave critical gaps unaddressed. This post breaks down the five contractual provisions unique to agentic AI — IP ownership, data use rights, human-in-the-loop thresholds, erroneous decision liability, and regulatory change clauses — and what to push for at the negotiating table.
August 22, 2026 Read more
