Short Term Sheets Hurt Startups
Once you sign a term sheet, you are locked in with a 'no shop' clause. Some of your negotiating leverage slips away. Aim to nail down the material terms while negotiating the term sheet, while you have more leverage.
PNW Startup Lawyer
Seattle startup lawyers helping founders navigate corporate law, venture capital, commercial transactions, and intellectual property.
Granting Pro Rata Rights to Convertible Note Investors
'Pro rata' rights are an investor's right to invest money in the *next* round, and in an amount that will maintain the investor's current ownership percentage. Should you grant pro rata rights to early investors in your startup? It depends on a few factors.
Checklist for Engaging a Seattle Startup Lawyer
Do they have the right background? Can they scale? Are they the right size for your startup or just overkill? Can you trust their advice when negotiating against investors?
Trademark Fair Use
You can generally use another company's trademarks, without infringement, for purposes such as news reporting, commentary, parody, comparative advertising and advertising compatibility. The rules are tricky, so discuss your advertising with counsel before going live.
E/N Alpha - Subscription Based Legal Counsel
Egan Nelson now offers subscription-based legal counsel for technology and consumer products startups.
CryptoPunks: Aligning Blockchain Ownership with Copyright Ownership
Cryptography is different than copyright. How can you ensure each owner of a blockchain asset is also the valid copyright owner of that asset? We explore a few options.
How do I Protect My Trademark Internationally?
Trademarks rights are *territorial*, meaning that you need a trademark registration in each country where you want to protect your brand. Building an international trademark portfolio is expensive, but a worthwhile investment for consumer products and technology companies.
Postponing Incorporation Until Jan 1 Can Save a Bit of Tax
Most startups pay the minimum DE franchise tax of $350. Startups pay this minimum for each year of existence, even if they incorporate on December 31.
Negotiating a Master Service Agreement in Tech Deals
The Master Service Agreement and Statement of Work describe what is being delivered, and what happens when things go wrong. This post runs through common contract terms, provides some negotiation tips, and highlights issues you may want your MSA to address.
Fair Use in Copyright Law
Fair use is a flexible standard that lets artists borrow portions of prior works to use as building blocks for new art and literature.
SAFE Financings Explained Line by Line
A SAFE is a quick and simple doc startups use to raise seed capital. Although simple, there's still a learning curve. This post gives a line-by-line explanation of how a SAFE works.
Should Early Employees Get Anti-Dilution Rights?
Employee anti-dilution rights are problematic, unnecessary, and generally unfair to other stockholders.
Rules for Granting Employee Stock Options
Startups issue equity to employees under Rule 701. The gist of Rule 701 is that a company can issue equity (1) to an employee or service provider (2) as compensation, (3) under an equity plan, (4) but not too much equity.
Do I Need to Send My 83b to the IRS with my Annual Tax Returns?
No. The IRS recently changed this rule. If you received stock after Jan 1, 2016, you don't need to file your 83b elections with your annual tax returns.
Should I Incorporate in Washington or Delaware?
Both are good choices. Washington is cheaper. Delaware is familiar to out-of-state investors and lawyers.
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