I recently heard on Clubhouse someone call lawyers a “necessary evil.”  He spent significant money defending himself in a trademark litigation matter.  What he did not know was that he could have likely saved tens of thousands of dollars if he had invested early in a simple trademark filing that would have cost a mere fraction of his litigation expenses.  

Much of the advice we see on social focuses on “growth,” “scaling,” and “making 6-figures quick!”  We spend so much money on ads, funnels, and courses geared towards growth.  What does not get emphasized enough is the importance of protecting your names, content, and business with simple trademark and copyright filings, and contracts to save you time and money.  Having the right legal protections in place early is a form of insurance to prevent wildly expensive disputes down the road. 

It pains me when clients come to me and say that they heard from so and so that they didn’t need to file for their trademark or copyright; or that they had a handshake deal that went south; or that they had taken a contract they found online and now they realized the terms didn’t protect their business.  When clients come to me in these situations, it is expensive and time consuming to resolve.  So many of these issues could have been prevented with a simple filing or contract drafting for minimal fees.  

I’m on a mission to set the record straight, and give all entrepreneurs and business owners these three simple legal protection recommendations to help them stay protected and profitable.

The 3 Simple Legal Protections to Save You Time and Money: Work with an intellectual property (IP) lawyer and invest early in your:

  1. TRADEMARKS: Run a trademark search and file to register your trademark.
  2. COPYRIGHTS: File a copyright to protect your core content or programs.
  3. CONTRACTS: Have the right contracts in place that protects you and your business.

Savvy business owners do not view lawyers as necessary evils.  Rather, they work with counsel as strategic partners to get the right legal protections in place early to save significant expense down the road.

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Francesca Witzburg
Francesca Witzburg, Esq., is an award-winning legal strategist and intellectual property expert, representing top businesses, brands, entrepreneurs and celebrities. Inspired by her love of culture, fashion, music, art, tech, and entertainment, she helps businesses monetize their IP and stay protected and profitable. Francesca has worked with some of the top global brands including Prada and Tory Burch, and at the largest law firm in the world. She’s currently a partner at the nationally ranked IP law firm, Loza & Loza. Francesca’s practice centers on all aspects of trademark, copyright, and brand protection matters, as well as commercial transactions. She helps entrepreneurs and businesses in entertainment, fashion, beauty, luxury, technology, and consumer product industries protect, enforce, and monetize their intellectual property assets. She reviews their current assets to see what protections already exist, sees where clients have major gaps and exposure, and then designs a personalized protection strategy which includes education and ongoing support. Francesca has counseled top businesses, celebrities, artists, athletes and influencers. She also advises an array of clients from Fortune 500 companies. Francesca received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the top ranked Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. Francesca is passionate about intellectual property and frequently writes, speaks, and teaches on the subject, with academically published pieces in The Trademark Reporter, Women’s Wear Daily, and Pepperdine Journal of Business. She has also been recognized as New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars and as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of venture capital firm Grant Barco Capital, and acts as a legal advisor for the anti-Asian discrimination group AAP(I BELONG), founded by Elizabeth Kari, mother of the woman attacked in Times Square this year. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family, read, write, run, and Peloton.
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