Author Archives: mwillee

I’ve never been to a hackathon. To be honest, I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. I couldn’t believe that some of the participants hadn’t slept in 36 hours because they were still all furiously typing away, smiling and laughing with each other! But why would any of these young coders, developers, and entrepreneurs careContinue reading “What a Hacker Taught Me about Intellectual Property”

Imagine: You’re an entrepreneur working hard in the lab or slaving over a hot yellow legal pad coming up with the next big idea; the next invention that is going to change everything. Finally you arrive at the solution! You rush into the streets, into a grocery store and shout it out at the topContinue reading “Protect Your Idea or Invention without Breaking the Bank”

What an incredible event! Funny enough, I realized on the shuttle over to the event on Tuesday morning that it was my one year anniversary with Traklight, and getting to attend INBOUND was the best work gift—EVER! HubSpot announced that over 10,000 people registered for the event, a record number of attendees. 

Intellectual property (IP) protection is necessary. But with rights comes responsibility; a responsibility to not misuse such rights. Automattic, the web publishing platform most famous for WordPress, uploaded a ‘Hall of Shame’ list after getting tired of its users being harassed by copyright and trademark infringement notices. WordPress is a free blogging tool and contentContinue reading “Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights: Protection v. Free Speech”

Last time on MSNBC, Mary Juetten shared her thoughts about 4 common IP misconceptions on JJ Ramberg’s show, The Business War Chest. This time, Mary and JJ delved into a segment on trademarks and five important things you need to know before applying for a trademark.

Clear definition and protection of intellectual property (IP) is a must for startups, and yet as a new business it may be difficult to determine what should be protected. Here are a key few items to consider in planning stages:

Did you catch last night’s season premeire of Shark Tank? If you have been busy working out the details of your innovation, you may not have had the opportunity to tune into this popular TV show on which entrepreneurs seek investments from five self-made multi-millionaires and billionaires. If you have watched the TV show, thenContinue reading ““I’m In”: Why Entrepreneurs Use Patents”

College football is one of America’s most popular sports, and it affords the young men who play it the opportunity to become household names before they even reach the legal drinking age. From the greats of yesteryear like Archie Griffin, Herchel Walker, and Doug Flutie, to more recent icons like Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel,Continue reading “Add Trademarks to the “Trill” List”

Last week’s Traklight on Forbes series shared 5 Tough Lessons from Fundraising. Check back every Thursday for more content. Thanks for reading!   When you’re first starting a business, becoming a thought leader in your industry is probably the last thing on your mind. But as we see the increased use of inbound marketing and content distribution swayContinue reading “Forbes Update: 7 Tips For Thought Leadership On A Startup Budget”

Last week saw two popular artists file a complaint for copyright infringement. Eminem, the Detroit rapper who rocked the world with his hard hitting rhymes is suing the National Party of New Zealand for using the music for his hit song “Lose Yourself” in a campaign video. The campaign video to promote John Key, whoContinue reading “Eminem and Iggy Azalea Out for Blood: Copyright Infringement”