Trademark law, explained by someone who actually files them.
Read our plain-English guides written for people whose name is the brand. Read straight through or jump to the section you need. No legalese, just what you need to know before you spend a dollar.
Does an LLC Protect Your Business Name? No. Here's What Does.
Your LLC filing reserved a name with one state. It gave you zero trademark rights. LLC vs trademark, DBA vs trademark, why a stranger in another state can register your name, and how to actually own it. Real statutes, real cases.
The Original GuideThe Lady Lawyer's Guide® to Trademark Registration
Everything entertainers, athletes, and creators need to know before they file. Twelve chapters from what a trademark is to life after registration.
For PodcastersThe Lady Lawyer's Guide® to Protecting Your Podcast
Own the name your show is built on. Trademark vs. copyright, which classes a podcast needs, co-host ownership, and network deals.
For Office ActionsThe Lady Lawyer's Guide® to Surviving an Office Action
Got a letter from the USPTO? It's a deadline, not a denial. Decode the refusal, the 3-month clock, and what responding actually costs.
For Registered OwnersWhat to Do After Your Trademark Registers: The Owner's Manual
Your certificate arrived. Now what? The ®, maintenance deadlines, abandonment, oppositions, going international, and turning the mark into money — with real statutes and case law.
For Monitoring & EnforcementThe Lady Lawyer's Guide® to Monitoring and Enforcing Your Trademark
Police your mark or lose it. The genericide graveyard, the Lanham Act's remedies, and the enforcement ladder from platform takedown to federal court.
For Athletes & NILThe Lady Lawyer's Guide® to Protecting Your Name, Image & Likeness
NIL deals let you earn from your name. They don't make you own it. Right of publicity vs. trademark, what athletes can register, when to file, and the contract clauses that quietly take names.
Kendra Stephen, The Lady Lawyer®
My approach is simple: protect to profit. A name that isn't protected is not as profitable as one that is protected with a registered trademark. These guides are the same conversation I have with every client, written down so you can read it before we ever talk.