Erin here: The following is from our high-school employee, Carter. I swear that it is his words (with some grammatical fixes from Katie and me), and that he didn’t get told he had to write nice things. Or even a promise of more ice cream. Though with this report, I am definitely going to be sure that he gets more ice cream outings on the firm’s dime.
When I first started working at OG+S, I was told by Erin
Continue Reading The Amazing Workplace of OG+S
That headline just caused more than a few eyes to glaze over. I get it, but this post is to point out that just because we had fancy new terms and abbreviations, that doesn’t change a lot of fundamentals. Recently, the Spice DAO discovered that copyright law still applies – even to them.
First things first. A DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization. It has no central governing body. Generally, decisions are made collectively aimed towards a common goal.
Continue Reading DAO NFT Doh!
This week’s OG+S blog post is not a deep dive into a legal topic. Instead, I am taking time this week to talk about a topic that is a significant one for me and many others: mindfulness. This concept has been much discussed in the recent past, largely as an antidote to an increasingly frenetic, anxious world. Daniel J. Siegel describes that “…being mindful, having mindful awareness, is often defined as a way of intentionally paying attention to the
Continue Reading Meditating on Mindfulness in the Legal Profession
Katie is our new legal assistant. We are pretty sure that as you interact with Katie, you will realize she fits right in here at OG+S. Below, she gives a taste of what we mean by that (see: cat’s name).
I grew up mostly in Wisconsin and Michigan, I am the youngest of three children, and both of my older brothers went to UW Madison (Go Badgers!).
I am a graduate of Jackson College in Jackson, MI, where I
Continue Reading Introducing Katie Francey
I’ve never had a client say to me, “Oh Collin, we have plenty of time to get our Brewers Notice, no reason to rush!” Ha! Everyone is rushing all the time – they want to start making beer now! So…two quick points to make in this short post:
What is the standard time for the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to process a new application?
If you have to submit a permit to the TTB for the
Continue Reading Can We Expedite This? – Asking the TTB to Process Quicker
In Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the
Continue Reading Wishing You All Independence and Equality
This week, we welcome Carter Rickard to OG+S as our Administrative Assistant for the summer!
Carter goes to Iowa-Grant High School (Go Panthers!). He plays third base on their baseball team, and last year, as a Freshman, he won gold at state in Forensics. For his gold-medal run, he did Moments in History, and his topic was “Women in government during the 1980s.” Our guess is that he spoke very little about the big hair and oversized shoulder pads and
Continue Reading Welcome Carter Rickard!
Let’s say you just started a new business—congratulations! When you contribute to your new business at the outset, as well as when you contribute again at a later point, that capital contribution and those of the other owners need to be tracked somehow. Enter the Capital Account.
A Capital Account is a general ledger used to track contributions by owners and the valuation of the business. This applies to partnerships, LLCs, and S-Corps but not Corporations. Keep in mind
Continue Reading Taking Capital Accounts into Account
Product placement, by which I mean the placement of branded products in films and TV shows, is a prevalent feature in media. As a viewer, I appreciate when product placement is used (in admittedly rare instances) to drive the plot. As a trademark attorney (since I can’t seem to turn it off), I appreciate the legal complications of product placement. Whether placement is an artistic choice or a cash-grab, there tends to be a beneficial relationship between filmmaker and
Continue Reading Trademark and Product Placement
It is summer, and that means clerkships! Karen is our summer clerk. She is a double Badger, and with a week under her belt so far, she is proving to be absolutely Badger-ific! Learn more about her below.
Karen Perez-Wilson is an alumna of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a rising 2L at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Aside from being a full-time student, Karen is also the small business owner of Your Biggest Flan Desserts. In her
Continue Reading Summer is Here: Introducing Karen Perez-Wilson
Big announcement! The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO“) will begin issuing electronic registration certificates for all trademark applications filed from today onward.
What does this mean for you?: If you apply for a new trademark, the USPTO will provide your registration certificate digitally, rather than on paper, when the mark registers. However, if you want to have a nice, embossed, certificate for your wall – you can order one for $24.00.
Why is this change occurring?: You
Continue Reading Print Your Own: Electronic Trademark Registration Certificates from the USPTO
I recently read an article about the “Milk Carton Rule.” The story goes that if a person keeps leaving a bottle of milk out, stop expecting them to do otherwise. Once you do that, you will “solve the real problem” and buy a second bottle of milk so you always have non-spoiled milk. The article and story has been an itch in my brain ever since. I kept trying to figure out why it didn’t sit well because I
Continue Reading What’s the Problem? No, really.
Who has time to read those pesky terms and conditions anyway? As it turns out…they are worth paying attention to, particularly if you are in a position to be writing them or using them on a website.
If you are a new business owner starting up a website, terms and conditions should matter to you. In particular, the presentation of the terms and conditions to visitors of the website is of great importance. Even if you are just a
Continue Reading That’s a (click)Wrap
Welcome back to our discussion on 501(c)(3)’s, inurement, and excess benefit transactions! If you missed the last post that provided an overview of the rules related to this topic, you can find the link to the previous post here. Now that the overview is out of the way, here are some ideas on how to avoid inurement issues
Anytime a director, officer, or some other kind of insider
Continue Reading What’s the Deal with 501(c)(3)’s? (Part 2)
Non-profit organizations, by their nature, provide great value through their missions and services. That is at least part of the reason why they typically receive tax-exempt status, including under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). However, that tax-exempt status is fragile and contingent on meeting and maintaining certain requirements, and an organization can end up losing the status without intending to do so.
One of the requirements of 501(c)(3) organizations is that “no part of the net
Continue Reading What’s the Deal with 501(c)(3)’s? (Part 1)
We’d like to wish a Happy Easter and a Happy Passover to all those who were celebrating over the weekend.
Are you hoping Spring is just around the corner like Lola is?
Continue Reading Waiting on Spring like Lola?