FREE Business Workshops for JUNE

The Orange County Workforce Investment Board and Coastline Community College are working together to provide entrepreneurs and small businesses FREE workshops on a number of topics.

The classes are held in Irvine at the Orange County One-Stop Center 125 Technology Dr, Suite 200, Irvine CA 92618.

Classes for JUNE:

Developing a Business Plan
June 9th from 6-8:30 p.m.

Online Marketing...in Plain English!
June 10th from 6-8:30 p.m.

Website Optimization
June 16th from 6-8:30 p.m.

Record Keeping
June 17th from 6-8:30 p.m.

The Role of Human Resources in your Small Business...avoid costly mistakes!
June 23rd from 6-8:30 p.m.

Build Your Own Website
June 24th from 6-8:30 p.m.

To Register Call Arienne at (949) 341-8026 or Email projectsuccess@coastline.edu

CA Trademark Registration VS. Federal Trademark Registration

A California trademark registration costs less and provides less rights than a federal trademark registration.

The filing fee for a California trademark application is $70 per class versus the federal application fee which is between $275-$375 per class (depending on certain criteria). California also has less demanding requirements than the USPTO for granting trademark registration.

However, a California trademark registration provides more limited trademark rights and these trademark rights can only be exercised within California. Furthermore, the registered symbol ® may ONLY be used after you receive federal registration. (Please see my blog regarding the use of Trademark Symbols TM vs. ®)

If federal registration is not an option for you, due to cost or the more stringent requirements, then filing for a California trademark registration may be the way to go.

Using Trademark Symbols: TM vs. ®

Trademarks include words, names, symbols, sounds, or colors that distinguish goods and services.

Proper Use of Symbols:

You can use the symbols TM (trademark) or SM (service mark) to indicate that you claim rights to the marks without having federal registration.

The federal registration symbol ® can only be used after the mark is actually registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Benefits of Registration:

Federal registration of a trademark heightens the protection a trademark receives, deters others from using your trademark, and increases the remedies should someone infringe upon your trademark.

Federal Trademark registration provides the owner with a number of exclusive rights, including the prevention of unauthorized use and the exclusive right to use the mark in connection with the products or services for which it is registered. Federal registration also provides greater deterrence by alerting others to your trademark registration and preventing the defense of innocent infringement.

Remedies:

Trademark registration (1) grants the trademark owner the right to recover up to triple damages and attorney's fees from a trademark infringer; (2) The owner of a trademark registration receives the presumption of being the valid owner of the trademark; (3) it increases the likelihood of the successful filing of a dispute resolution policy for an infringing Internet domain name; and (4) The owner of a trademark registration has an automatic right to sue in federal court.

California Business Collector - NOT A STATE AGENCY

A company by the name of California Business Collector (CBC) is sending out mailers asking businesses to complete a Disclosure Form of Directors and Shareholders and submit a fee. This organization is not affiliated with the State of California. The fine print on the document states that this is a solicitation and not a bill.

There is no obligation to make any payments! Please always read the fine print before sending anyone money.

FREE Business Workshops

The Orange County Workforce Investment Board and Coastline Community College are working together to provide entrepreneurs and small businesses free workshops on a number of topics.

Clases:

Starting Your Business...the Right Way!
May 6th or May 12th from 6-9 p.m.

Financing Options and Record Keeping Techniques
May 13th from 6-8:30 p.m.

Developing a Business Plan and Marketing your Business
May 19th from 6-8:30 p.m.

Online Marketing...in Plain English!
May 20th from 6-8:30 p.m.

The Role of Human Resources in your Small Business...avoid costly mistakes!
May 26, 2010 from 6-8:30 p.m.


To Register Call (949) 341-8026 or Email projectsuccess@coastline.edu