Coollawyer Articles

The following and columns below are written by attorney Judith Silver, licensed in CA, FL, NY and TX.  Readers are cautioned not to rely on them as legal advice.  The law changes with time and jurisdiction so always check with an attorney. 
If you wish to link to anything on this site, you must include this disclaimer and credit the copyright in the author. (c) Coollawyer Inc.

• ABC's of Website Law
• Are You a Talent Agent?
• A Bad Dream: In Search of a Legal Framework for Copyright Claims Involving Digital Imagery in Motion Pictures
• Cybersquatting Ain't What It Used To Be
• How Advertising, Affiliate and Cobranding Agreements Protect Your Business
• How Confidentiality Agreements Protect Your Business
• How Contractor Agreements and Employee Policies Protect Your Business
• How Domain Name Purchase and Sale Agreements Protect Your Business
• How Service and Service Level Agreements Protect Your Business
• How Software Escrow Agreements Protect Your Business
• How Software License Agreements Protect Your Business
• How Website User Agreements Protect Your Business
• How Complying with 18 USC 2257 Protects Your Adult Business
• Intellectual Property is...
  • Patent Law
  • Copyright Law
  • The Public Domain
  • Trademark Law
  • Trade Secret Law
• Letters of Intent:  Why Lawyers Hate Em and Business People Love Em
• Movie Day at the Supreme Court: Trying to Define Obscenity
• Naming Your Company or Product
• Service Providers and Your Contract

Columns by Judith Silver, Esq. as "Legal Expert" Featured by Entrepreneur Magazine on Entrepreneur.com 2002-2004

• How Much Notice Is Required Prior to Being Laid Off? Unpublished Column from January, 2004
• Playing Copyrighted Material at Your Business: Are you violating artists' rights with the video games, movies and songs running in your store? Column from December 1, 2003
• Online Games and Giveaways: Is it legal to give charge a monthly fee for giveaways? Column from November 10, 2003
• Should You Put It in Writing? Contracts will help keep you--and your clients--satisfied. Column from October 13, 2003
• Board Members: What Are They Responsible For: A primer on the basic laws governing director responsibility. Column from September 8, 2003
• Handling Unpaid Debts and Unclaimed Property: What to do when customers don't pay or come to pick up the goods you've repaired. Column from August 11, 2003
• Recovering Losses When a Service Provider Fails You: If your business suffers as a result of poor service from someone else, you need to know your legal rights. Column from July 14, 2003
• Should You Franchise or License Your Business? Franchising is not for everyone. Here's how to determine if the approach is right for your business. Column from June 6, 2003
• Closing Down Your Business Permanently: If you're shutting your business for good, there's more to it than drawing the blinds. Column from March 10, 2003
• Starting a Home Based Business: How to make it legal. Column from January 13, 2003
• Things to Consider Before Starting an E-Commerce Business Column from December 1, 2002
• How to Lower the Risks of Competing With Your Former Boss: Before you take on your ex-employer head-to-head, make sure you understand the legal implications of this often risky venture. Column from November 11, 2002
• Making Your New Business Legal: How to protect yourself and stay on the right side of the law. Column from October 14, 2002
• Starting a Home Based Business as a Teen: Entrepreneurs under the age of 18 have special legal issues to consider. Column from September 1, 2002
• Limiting Your Liability: What happens if you sell a product with a dangerous defect? Column from July 1, 2002
• ​It's Every Entrepreneur's Worst Nightmare: Someone has stolen your idea. How can you really protect yourself? Column from May 13, 2002
• Copyright Licenses: Before you use someone else's copyrighted material, draft an agreement that benefits both of you. Column from April 1, 2002
• Foreigners Starting U.S. Businesses: When you're not a U.S. citizen, how do you start a business in the United States? Column from March 11, 2002
• Cybersquatting: Someone just registered a domain that's awfully similar to your business name. Are they cybersquatting? Column from February 11, 2002
• Low Investment, High Return: Sounds like an amazing business. But is it legal? Column from January 14, 2002
• Surviving a Deadly Partnership.  Column from March 10, 2003
• Your Biz Inc., Column from June 10, 2005