| In these difficult economic times, new businesses | | | | optimizer to help your website get noticed on |
| are much riskier to try, but there is no more | | | | search engines and then know how to create |
| lucrative an area even in the current conditions | | | | publicity for your product, you are halfway home. |
| than for an inventor or designer who can create | | | | But all of that costs money, lots of money, or |
| a new invention or process and who can afford | | | | lots and lots of time. But if the design is unique, it |
| to have it patented. | | | | may make much more sense to apply for a |
| Whether you live in San Diego, Orange County, | | | | design patent and then to license or sell your |
| Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Barbara, Rancho | | | | patent outright to another manufacturer. |
| Cucamonga, Ontario, Temecula, Anaheim, Irvine, | | | | One item that makes business run is credit. But all |
| Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, | | | | you hear in the news is how hard it is now to get |
| Santa Ana, Encinitas or Palm Springs conditions | | | | credit for a house, for a business, for anything. |
| are much the same throughout California. Business | | | | You can therefore almost certainly count on new |
| is slow and much of what little real estate is selling | | | | businesses popping up that offer their services in |
| are the foreclosed homes. | | | | finding you credit. While this area of business is |
| As a Business Lawyer in Southern California, | | | | already regulated, as more and more scammers |
| people are always asking me for the next great | | | | get into this business, you can be certain that |
| area of business in which they can make money | | | | more regulation will follow. |
| and what legal restrictions there might be in the | | | | The difficulty with this type of business is that |
| future. When asked these questions the one place | | | | you may find it difficult not to be brushed with |
| I don’t turn to is those newsletters that | | | | the same paint brush as the unscrupulous |
| tell you how much money you would have made | | | | businesses who will guarantee to find a person |
| if you had followed their advice and invested in | | | | credit for a fee and then either take the money |
| certain stocks or gone into the cell phone | | | | and run or simply offer excuses why it was |
| business. | | | | impossible for them to find their customer the |
| For the most part, however, you can almost | | | | credit they promised. |
| certainly bet that their advice is wrong, so you | | | | An area where there appears to be an |
| can likely assume that the opposite of their advice | | | | opportunity in these times is helping others and in |
| would offer a better chance of success. | | | | doing so, you may help yourself. Consumers need |
| Many newsletters are still focused on getting into | | | | real help to survive this economic mess. Web |
| businesses that rely on the consumer having | | | | sites that actually provide a service such as |
| discretionary cash to purchase unnecessary items. | | | | locating cheap gas, coupons for groceries, clothing |
| That’s probably not just bad advice, | | | | sales or other basic necessities may be the one |
| it’s lousy advice. Television commercials | | | | area in which there could be demand by the |
| telling you that you can make tens of thousands | | | | consumer. This type of service will require a lot of |
| a month working from home are a way to take | | | | free advice, however, time and people to gather |
| your money for seminars, books and other | | | | this information and it still could be difficult to |
| materials that most likely in the end will cost you | | | | recoup your investment. |
| more than you’ll ever make, once you add | | | | Perhaps the best way that still exists to make a |
| in your start up costs. | | | | lot of money is if you can develop an idea for an |
| On the other hand, one or two of the ideas being | | | | invention. Utility patents are very expensive to |
| touted may be the fad of the future, no matter | | | | obtain using a lawyer. Most charge from $7,500 |
| how little money people have to spend. For | | | | on up depending upon the complexity. However, |
| instance, if people will buy expensive clothes for | | | | you can obtain a provisional patent or a design |
| their dogs, does that mean that they’ll buy | | | | patent for substantially less and as soon as the |
| little prom dresses for their infants? Hard to say. | | | | application has been accepted (as opposed to |
| However, if the high heeled shoes cause injuries | | | | when the patent is granted, which takes much |
| to those infants, you can see the lawsuits coming | | | | longer) you can begin to market your invention to |
| already. | | | | other companies and either license your patent |
| What’s the next item we can’t do | | | | pending invention to them or sell it outright. |
| without or that we like just fine now, but would | | | | So start thinking about what hasn’t yet |
| pay an extra $50 to have a designer version of | | | | been invented, or improved upon in an important |
| that item? That depends as much on good | | | | way, and if you need assistance with obtaining a |
| marketing and a good business plan as the good | | | | patent, trademark or copyright, call us or visit us |
| idea. If you have that and the resources to start | | | | at our website where you can access much more |
| production, create a website, hire a search engine | | | | information about intellectual property. |