Zumba: At War With the Pirates | Company of the Year
This fast-growing company is besieged by imitators, counterfeiters, and fakes. In defense, it employs a fleet of about 20 in-house lawyers and retains law fi... Read more
Intellectual Property
Recent Intellectual Property Articles
4 Myths of Global Branding
What rights do you have when protecting your trademark internationally? You may be surprised. Read more
How Zumba Fitness Turned Pirates Into a Street Marketing Team 
Each week, 12 million people in 125 countries take Zumba Fitness classes. Here, co-founder Alberto Perlman talks about how he protects the company's trademark. Watch video
Someone Copied Your Product. What Next?
Taking legal action is costly and time-consuming. Here's how to weigh whether you (really) need to. Read more
Why You're Not Entitled to Your Idea
These tips will help you convince an investor that you're the one unique individual or team to turn your idea into a full-fledged business. Read more
3 Lessons From Apple's Billion-Dollar Win
Here's what you can learn from Apple's patent victory over Samsung. Read more
SOPA Lives On ...Through Google
Google, taking cues from SOPA, will begin demoting websites that pirate content. Read more
Global Expansion Do's & Don'ts
Global expansion is not for the faint of heart. But there's a way to improve your chances of building successful international operations. Read more
Patent Research Just Got Easier
An IP lawyer dishes on Google's search tools for patent-seekers--and what every start-up should know before heading down that path. Read more
Are You Violating Google's New Copyright Policy?
Avoid becoming a victim to Google's new policy of penalizing the organic rankings of websites suspected of improperly posting the copyrighted materials of ot... Read more
H&H Bagels' Trademark Battle Heats Up
The founder of a bankrupt bagel chain is struggling to hold onto his business's legendary name. Read more
Best Way to Protect Your Brilliant Ideas
How do you know when to patent, trademark, or a license your idea? We grilled the CEO of General Patent Corp. to find out. Read more
3 Ways to Guard Your Trademark
Your company's trademarks are your most important business asset. Here's how you can protect them. Read more
4 Ways to Beat Knock-offs
For a growing business, protecting your intellectual property and brand can be timely and expensive. Here's how to prepare yourself for the fight. Read more
A Kentucky Family Business, an Iconic Seal & a Lawsuit
Maker's Mark recently won a decade-long lawsuit in federal court, which decided to protect the brand's famous red dripping wax. Here's how it happened. Read more
The Reality of Protecting Your Company's Secrets
Patents: they're the building blocks of innovation. But there are a lot of things a patent can't do. Here's a primer on how (and why) they actually work. Read more
Franchise Your Business: 4 Tips
This neighborhood butcher shop will grow by 30 stores in 2012 for total sales of $70 million. Here's how they did it. Read more
4 Steps to Innovate the P&G Way
Don't have the $2 billion R&D budget of P&G? Not to worry. CTO Bruce Brown says any company can master this process. Read more
Have Brand, Will License: 9 Tips to Do It Right
Think you've got a brand with a life of its own? Make these smart moves now. Read more
Patents? You Don't Need No Stinking Patents!
Your No. 1 job is to get to market and start making money. Here's why protecting your IP should stay off your to-do list. Read more
Zuckerberg Has a Sugar Daddy. Do You?
Even a 20-something billionaire could use a little help. He just got it from Microsoft--via a huge heap of AOL patents. Read more
Could Google Lose Its Famous Name?
Too much brand recognition can actually be a bad thing, especially if left unchecked, and lead to the loss of your trademark rights. Read more
When Trademark Enforcement Goes Too Far
You can always enforce your trademarks, but should you? Here are three tips to help you decide when it's worth it. Read more
What Does a Patent Office Mean For Detroit?
The first-ever satellite office for the United States Patent and Trademark Office will open in July. Here's what it means for Detroit. Read more
Sizing Up the Company on the Other End of the Deal
What if you were negotiating with Apple and didn't know it? Large companies can mask their identities. Here's how to uncover them. Read more
7 Ways to Bulletproof Your Business
Legal matters may be daunting for the inexperienced, but that's no excuse for failing to make sure your venture is on the right side of the law, warns Rocket... Read more
Lessons You Can Learn from Apple’s iPad Woes
As iPads are being seized by authorities in China, you may be wondering how to protect your brand globally. Here's what you need to know. Read more
Business Lesson From Beyonce and Jay-Z
Can you really trademark a baby’s name? Absolutely. Why would you want to? The answer is more applicable to your business than you may realize. Read more
3 Ways to Shrink Your Start-up Legal Costs
The average legal bill even before VC financing can run more than $20,000. Why pay that when DIY options abound? Read more
The Business of Building a 'Honey Badger' Empire
Honey Badger don't care. But its creator does--and he's hoping he can build a business around the most fearless mammal on earth. Read more
5 Steps to Thinking Outside of the Box
How do people think outside of the proverbial box? They know how to view things more expansively. Here's how. Read more
Negotiating for Wimps
How to ask for what you want -- and get it. Eleven tips for the confrontation-shy. Read more
Can a Shoe Color Really Be Trademarked?
With a Federal Court Case underway many are asking can the color of the soles of shoes be protected as a trademark. The answer may surprise you. Read more
Ask Inc.: Can a New Hire Sign a Non-Compete Later?
Inc.com columnist Jeff Haden is taking your start-up questions. Up this week: How to handle an employee who won't agree to a non-compete. Read more
Do You Have a Privacy Problem?
Google, Facebook, and others have made consumers particularly sensitive about their privacy online. That means you need to be sensitive about it too. Read more
