When you’re selling a business, high-quality due diligence is essential to keeping both sides happy. Buyers want to ensure that your business really is what was agreed upon, and if provided poorly conducted due diligence, could back out of the deal. Sellers should ensure that they’re following these guidelines to prevent a deal from falling through. Conduct an Audit Buyers are primarily interested in confirming the Read More

While no business can remove itself entirely from the risk of litigation, a well-written contract can certainly help. Your contracts should always serve your business, your relationships, and the deal at hand by providing both protection and a set of terms that clearly define the agreement. With these aspects of a quality contract in mind, you’ll be able to handle business disputes in the best way possible - Read More

Disputes between business associates can get out of hand quickly, and potentially spell the end for your business if not handled with the urgency and care they demand. These disputes frequently stem from disagreements about the future path of the business, or an owner acting in a manner which causes distrust between partners. However they may arise, resolving these issues in one way or another is critical to the Read More

You’re likely familiar with trademarks – the little ™ or ® symbol you see next to all of your favorite brands. That little symbol, however, pulls a lot of weight. A trademark can make a world of difference to your company and products, as well as help launch your business into a national or global brand.  A Federal Trademark Protects Your Product Nationally The ™ symbol can be used on any mark to which a business Read More

In February 2022, FDA proposed new rules for the licensure of wholesale drug distributors (WDDs) and third-party logistics (3PL) providers. These rules, if approved, would amend 21 CFR parts 10, 12, 16, and 205. Click here for the text. If approved in their current form, FDA’s new rules would not only expand the class of persons subject to licensure, but also preempt many state and local licensure requirements, Read More

Most people are familiar with the trademark symbol (™), registered trademark symbol (®), and their service mark equivalents. But most people are likely unfamiliar with the Lanham Act, which is the law behind those symbols. Enacted just a few months after the end of WWII, the Lanham Act established a number of the intellectual property protections upon which businesses depend today to signal and promote the quality Read More

“Stranger Things” was all the rage In 2017. Looking to cash-in on the popularity, a couple of friends launched a “Stranger Things” pop-up bar in Chicago. The bar was a hit with locals. But it was less so with the legal team at Netflix. It wasn’t long before Netflix sent the bar owners a cease and desist letter, threatening to call the bar owners’ moms and citing the horrors of Demogorgon if the bar lingered beyond Read More

Whether you can sell something as “skim milk” would seem quite straightforward. After all, according to Merriam Webster’s it’s just milk without the cream. But not according to the FDA and even some competitors in the dairy industry, which require the incorporation of additives to enhance vitamin A and D content before a product can be sold as skim milk. A producer who omits these additives in an effort to create a Read More

Businesses that are reliant on contractors, suppliers, experts and vendors to complete and deliver goods and services to their upstream customers or clients can face unique challenges. These challenges, however, can quickly multiply when contractual obligations the business owes to its upstream customers or clients aren’t harmonized with the obligations owed to the business by its downstream relationships. There are, Read More

Beyond the more technical advice we provide our clients on their various business and intellectual property needs, we also counsel them to beware of “contract killers” that often lurk beneath the surface of a deal. These “contract killers” can range from entire provisions to one-word expressions. Examples include: Bad choice of law and forum. What law applies? And, if you sue or get sued, where does a lawsuit Read More