About Canaan Suitt, J.D.
Canaan Suitt received his J.D. from William & Mary Law School. After serving as a senior editor for the law school’s comparative law blog, he was a staff member of the William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review (ELPR). As a legal intern at the National Center for State Courts, he assisted in international rule of law projects and policy review; as a research assistant, he studied political dynamics in the U.S. federal judiciary. His articles on law and philosophy have been published in the ELPR as well as the academic journal Dewey Studies. He loves using his background in research and writing to make legal information accessible. Canaan currently writes for SuperLawyers.com. In his free time, he enjoys reading, travel, and being a cat dad.
Articles written by Canaan Suitt, J.D.
When Should I Patent My Idea?
U.S. Patent Law secures inventors’ property rights in their inventions. Patent owners have the exclusive right to make, use, and sell their patented inventions and stop others from making, using, or selling them without a license or permission. If you’ve invented something, when should you file for a patent? U.S. Patent Law is a first-to-file system, incentivizing inventors to file first. But there are other legal issues to consider before applying. This article discusses important …
How To Apply for a Patent
U.S. Patent Law gives inventors the exclusive right to make, use, and sell their invention while excluding The world of patents can be confusing to traverse, whether you’re a first-time inventor or someone with a few patents under their belt. If your work has made it all the way to a patent attorney, it can even be difficult to know what to expect. If you have questions about the patent process, it's never too early to consult with an experienced patent attorney. Read on to learn more …
When Should I Get a Patent Lawyer?
You should get a patent lawyer early on in your invention disclosure process to conduct the prior art search before making any invention disclosures to protect your intellectual property rights. The prior art search is a vital part of the provisional application process for the USPTO filing, and a patent attorney can help you protect your invention. Contact an attorney to understand the patent prosecution process for utility patents and design patents, how patent protections give you market …
How Do I Protect My Business's Intellectual Property?
Protect your business's intellectual property rights by conducting an asset inventory to see what the company owns. Identify intellectual property assets with an IP audit, register trademarks and copyrights, and review contractor and employment agreements for nondisclosure agreements and confidentiality policies to protect trade secrets. Monitor copyright and patent filing violations and take infringement enforcement actions to maintain access control. Talk to IP counsel about reviewing …
Should My Business Hire an Intellectual Property Lawyer?
If you are a business owner and your company owns intellectual property, there are many potential benefits to hiring an intellectual property lawyer. For example, a lawyer can help ensure your intellectual property rights are protected from infringement ahead of time. If infringement does occur, a lawyer can act on your behalf to resolve the issue, letting you run your business without having to deal with the ins and outs of lawsuits. “Working with lawyers helps avoid issues that might come …
When Do I Need Permission To Use a Copyrighted Work?
You need rights clearance to use a copyrighted work unless the use falls under a narrow exception or has an expired copyright. You need a license to use copyrighted works unless they are in the public domain or qualify as fair use under the four-factor test. Exceptions to copyright permission include fair use for educational, commentary, parody, news reporting, or transformative use. A commercial use, regardless of the amount used, that could cause market harm carries an infringement risk. …
What To Do if Someone Steals Your Intellectual Property
When you think of theft, you probably think of someone taking your wallet or some tangible asset, like a watch or car. If someone takes your physical property, that's obviously theft. However, your ideas, creations, and inventions can also be stolen through intellectual property infringement, and it's not always easy to know when this type of theft has occurred. "Intellectual property theft basically involves third parties who co-opt the brand, the technology, or the products that have …
How To Collect Debt Through a Lawsuit
If you are a creditor seeking to collect unpaid debts, you have various collection options at your disposal. Often, creditors can successfully collect without taking legal action against the debtor. Lawsuits are a last resort, and it’s important to do everything you can to collect before suing. “Usually, by the time you’re contemplating a lawsuit to collect on an unpaid invoice, you’re already behind the eight ball,” says Seth E. Dizard, a creditor debtor rights attorney at …
Debt Collection Options for Businesses
Cash flow is a fundamental concern of any small business owner. Unpaid invoices aren't just a source of stress. They can quickly strain a small business’s resources and ability to operate. When invoices go unpaid, business owners must take action to try to collect what’s owed. “There are all kinds of collection options available to unsecured trade vendors,” says Seth E. Dizard, a creditors debtor rights attorney in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This article will cover some of those …
What Practices Should Businesses Avoid in Debt Collection?
“Cash flow is the lifeblood of just about every small, closely held business,” says creditor debtor rights attorney Seth E. Dizard, of O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To stay operational, a business needs to get paid for its goods or services. When a consumer doesn’t pay their invoice, the business is well within its rights to take action to collect the money owed. However, creditors must be careful not to cross the line into abusive collection …
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