Tonight's topic:  Legal Q&A

Episode special guest:  Colin Sullivan, Crowd Counsel

Part 1:  Introduction to hiring a lawyer

• Trade-offs of time and money
• Specific issues?  Find a specialized attorney; for most others, general counsel is adequate
• Can do simple things yourself, but probably want an attorney anyway to assist with formalities

Part 2:  Startup checklist

• Create a corporate entity to protect yourself and your assets
• LLC: less complex than a normal corporation, and an ideal choice for smaller groups
• Formalities are necessary to maintain protection
• Follow all local and state regulations, and international if selling abroad
• Set up corporate entity before other entity-related accounts (i.e. bank account)

Part 3:  Intro to IP

• Patents: less useful for typcial matters, but present for very large / valuable processes
• Trade secrets: present in almost every field, particularly present when dealing with shifting employee base
• NDAs: simple protection for confidential information
• Trademarks: protection for the consumer and the brand
• Copyright: protection for anything (well...most things) pulled from the mind and expressed
• Assignments: move everything to the company once formed, bought, and produced
• Protecting yourself: C&Ds, DMCA takedowns, lawsuits (not a great idea)
• Preventing infringement with you at the source: be aware of the responses to various IP types

Part 4: Miscellaneous

• Employees versus independent contractors
• Cross-state, cross-country hiring
• Get. An. Accountant.