-
Business Formations and Transactions
The law office of Zachary Hiller specializes in catering to the complete needs of its business and corporate clients from inception to final sale or dissolution. The firm is invaluable in guiding and representing clients with business transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and all facets necessary for the growth and success of the client’s business.
We work closely with our clients, understanding their goals and the particulars of their businesses to ensure operations are as efficient as possible. The Law Office of Zachary Hiller is an integral part of the client’s team, providing comprehensive business law advice and guidance to ensure that the rights and best interests of the business are preserved in all business transactions.
-
Civil Litigation
No one wants to go to trial. However, sometimes, it is inevitable. From the second you walk into Mr. Hiller’s office for your initial consultation, he will begin thinking about how a jury might perceive your situation and will formulate a plan of action to sway a jury’s perception in your favor. Not only is this the best way to prepare and win a trial, it is also the best way to avoid one altogether. By constantly practicing this and other litigation avoidance techniques, Mr. Hiller has successfully represented clients in a variety of intellectual property disputes often without ever taking one step into a courthouse. If you have been sued, are worried about your potential liability, or want to position yourself favorably just in case, Mr. Hiller will be happy to speak with you about formulating a plan that fits your needs.
-
Contract Drafting and Negotiation
Once a business is fully organized and operational, it will begin to enter into relationships with other businesses and individuals. In the old days, these relationships were governed by a simple handshake and maybe a note on a cocktail napkin. However, in today’s fast paced world, it is necessary to take the time to write down the specific expectations of a business relationship between two parties. Without proper legal guidance before entering into a contract, business owners can leave themselves vulnerable to a wide range of liabilities including employees leaving to work for your competition and vendors or manufacturers stealing your ideas. However, by utilizing Mr. Hiller’s extensive experience in negotiating and drafting contracts, you can rest assured knowing not only that your business’ liability is minimized, but also that your company’s goals and obligations are clearly defined and understood by all parties involved.
-
Copyrights
A copyright protects works of authorship like books, music, films, and other works of art that have tangibly expressed. Technically, a person has “common law” rights to a creative work once expressed in a “fixed medium.” However, a person should seek official copyright registration prior to marketing the book, song, movie, computer program, or any other creative expression. A registered copyright evidences the date of creation and places others on notice as to your rights to your work.
Failure to protect your work with a registered copyright can prove to be an expensive mistake if someone else tries to pass your work off as their own. The burden of proof will fall on you to show that you were the first person to create the work. The simplest way to protect your rights is to contact the Law Office of Zachary Hiller. We are particularly skilled at obtaining copyright protection for a wide variety of works of authorship. Once a copyright is obtained, we can assist you in not only protecting your rights, but also in preparing agreements allowing others to use your work.
-
Licensing Agreements and Technology Transfers
Like most assets, intellectual property can prove to be worthless if not positioned correctly in the marketplace. One common avenue of monetizing intellectual property is through licensing agreements. However, the specifics of those licenses can depend on a number of market factors and client objectives. Mr. Hiller’s extensive knowledge in intellectual property law and experience in drafting and negotiating licensing agreements can help you develop an appropriate product licensing agreement that can address all of the issues involved with protecting your intellectual property rights and minimizing future business or legal problems.
-
Patents
A patent is a legal document granted by the government giving its owner the limited right to exclude others from making, using, or selling the technology protected by the patent. Patents are generally limited to the geographic country of issuance and expire after 20 years. However, depending on the circumstances and by utilizing a comprehensive and individualized intellectual property strategies, it is possible to obtain worldwide coverage and effectively extend the life your patent by making subsequent filings on improvements of your initial invention.
In today’s rapidly changing world, new technology can be both an asset and a liability. As a business owner, obtaining or enforcing a patent may be one of the most crucial steps you can take to maximize your technology’s worth and limit its liability. Mr. Hiller can help you identify which of your inventions can be patented and help guide you through the tedious process of obtaining a patent. He will also work with you to enforce your patent rights should some competitor decide to disregard your investment in your intellectual property.
-
Trade Secret Protection
A trade secret is defined as any valuable business information that is not generally known and is subject to reasonable efforts to preserve confidentiality. Generally speaking, a trade secret will be protected from exploitation by those who either obtain access through improper means or those who breach a promise to keep the information confidential. While virtually every business has at least some trade secrets, they are quite fragile because they protect information and resources that are secret, which necessarily means that protection is lost if and when the secret becomes publicly known. For that reason, when other forms of intellectual property protectionare available, one should carefully weigh the benefits of relying on trade secret protection.
The Law Office of Zachary Hiller can assist in determining whether keeping a specific process or invention as a trade secret is the most advantageous for you and your business. Since other forms of protection are limited in time a trade secret may give you a leg up on the competition. However, by nature of being a secret, your business may be missing out on valuable licensing and royalty opportunities.
-
Trademarks
A trademark serves to distinguish products, services, and companies. It also represents the source and goodwill associated with the product or service. They can include anything from brand names and logos to slogans and product configurations. While it is true that “common law” rights exist without registration, in order to ensure you are properly protected federal registration should be sought whenever possible.
The Law Office of Zachary Hiller has extensive experience in obtaining trademarks as well as preventing competitors from obtaining similar marks through our trademark monitoring services. We will explain every aspect of the trademark process and will create a plan of action that can best contribute to the success of your business and protection of your intellectual property.
-
Cybersquatting and Domain Hijacking
The digital world is getting larger every second, which means it’s becoming quite challenging to protect yourself and your business. Cyber squatting and domain hijacking are unfortunately very common and occur when a person buys, registers, traffics, or otherwise uses a domain name that is similar to a personal name or trademark. Cyber squatting is often associated with people buying domain names only to turn around and try to sell them for profit to the business or individual with that trademarked or personal name. If you own a trademark and that someone is holding it hostage as a domain name, you may be the victim of cyber squatting.
The Law Office of Zachary Hiller, your business lawyer Houston, has experience in protecting you and your business from cyber squatting and domain hijacking issues. We will thoroughly cover every detail and create a plan that will not only protect you and your business, but contribute to your success.
Whether it is sending or responding to cyber squatting threat letter, filing a UDRP arbitration proceeding or filing an Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) lawsuit, our offices will be able to advise every step of the way.
