The Law Offices of H.W. Pfabé

I am proud to announce that Startup Savant has listed The Law Offices of H.W. Pfabé as a Top Professional Service for Small Businesses & Start-Ups in Massachusetts. In fact, we’re #1 on the list!

Startup Savant is a top resource for small businesses and start-ups. It contains advice for entrepreneurs looking to start their own companies, including guidance for the different types of business entities that can be formed. Startup Savant also provides helpful information for growing and developing your small business. As the site says, “Entrepreneurship Simplified.”

Included among Startup Savant’s many informative sections are state-by-state resource guides for entrepreneurs. The “86 Best Resources for Starting a Business in Massachu...

With this post, we’re going to begin a series explaining “What is Intellectual Property”. It will be broken down into a number of separate posts, so each can be a quicker read (the last “quick” blog post was almost 2000 words…).

So, what is Intellectual Property? Broadly, Intellectual Property is a work or invention that results from creativity, and the rights that can go along with it. Intellectual Property is generally grouped into Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, and Trade Secrets. However, there are a number of other areas which fall under Intellectual Property as well, such as Trade Dress, and an individual’s Right to Publicity. We’ll be discussing each of these separately in upcoming posts.

The above definition really is the key to und...

Well, sort of.

Sticking with the latest news for another article, there is a lot of talk today about the new Patent which was issued to Apple, Inc. just four days ago. According to the much of the conversation surrounding it, many people think this Patent allows Apple to shut off the camera to your iPhone or other Apple product whenever they want. The main example, taken directly from the Patent, is turning off your camera on your phone when you’re at a live concert, whether you like it or not.

Understandably, this has raised a lot of concern as to people’s privacy, personal property, rights, and generally the idea of Apple taking control of your device, whether even against your will. Additionally, the fear is that people’s ability to...

On May 11, 2016, the Defense of Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) was signed into law by President Obama.  The DTSA was approved by both houses unanimously, in a rare bipartisan show of unity, and went into effect immediately. The DTSA is significant to business owners, as it gives a number of new avenues by which a business can protect itself from trade secret theft. However, it also places new obligations on businesses, even some that might think they don’t have “trade secrets”. This article discusses what has changed, and what employers need to know.

What is a Trade Secret?

At its most fundamental, a trade secret is information which has value. Many businesses are actually not aware that they DO have trade secrets, or that they SHOULD.

A trade...