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A Review of the Rights and Obligations of Joint Authors

Introduction Almost all of us have known or know someone who has joined with another individual, whether as literary authors, artists, colleagues, scientists, novelists, or musicians, to draft or create the next great novel, an article for the local bar association newsletter, scientific report, musical composition, artwork or some other piece ... More

Avoiding Maryland Estate Taxes

You may have heard that last December Congress passed and President Obama signed the “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Authorization Act,” which made substantial changes to Federal Estate and Gift Tax laws.    The Act increased the unified Estate Tax credit resulting in an increase of the exemption ... More

Maryland Versus Delaware: Which Corporation Law to Use?

Many people know that Delaware is the most popular jurisdiction in which to incorporate or to organize most forms of businesses. The reasons for Delaware’s advantages over other jurisdictions are hard to pin down. There is a general feeling that Delaware law is more modern or otherwise favorable to businesses ... More

Intellectual Property Protection – A Large Need for Many Small Businesses

While the value of protecting one’s intellectual property is often recognized in the world of big business, such protection is frequently overlooked by many small businesses. This article highlights the importance of intellectual property protection for small businesses. Trademark A trademark is a word, design, color or sound that serves as an ... More

Restoring the “Gold” to the Golden Mile 

Seeking to restore the vigor and luster of Frederick City’s Golden Mile, Mayor Randy McClement kicked off the first official meeting of the Golden Mile Alliance by appointing its initial board of directors from a diverse list of interested citizens, business and property owners and public servants. The mission of ... More

Stand By Your Brand

Many businesses spend a small fortune building a brand identity around a logo or brand name before determining whether they can protect their logos or marks as trademarks. Without first determining whether they can protect their logos or marks as trademarks, businesses risk having their marks copied by competitors or ... More

The Bank Lawsuit and The Sophisticated Investor

On Sept. 2, six days before the statute of limitations would have run, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the “FHFA”) sued 17 of the world’s largest financial institutions claiming they committed fraud in the sale of nearly $200 billion in mortgage investments to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The lawsuit ... More

The Fiduciary Duties of Partners

Partners are fiduciaries. But to whom? Are all partners in a partnership fiduciaries or just some of the partners? What about limited partners? What about joint venturers? Are these duties owed to creditors and other third parties? I will answer these questions in a general way in this blog, and ... More

Maryland Economic Development Commission

I am honored to have been appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to the Maryland Economic Development Commission. These are challenging and uncertain times and more than ever we need to develop, support, and initiate programs and initiatives to position Maryland’s economy for growth. Maryland’s economic engine is driven by ... More

Negotiating a Personal Guaranty for a Commercial Lease

In today’s business environment, personal guaranties are becoming the industry standard for negotiating a commercial lease. Landlords typically require a small business owner and his or her spouse in their individual capacities to sign personal guaranties as a term and condition for entering into a commercial lease. Prior to doing ... More

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