If you are an Amazon seller, it is highly recommended you obtain trademark protection for your brand and enrol in the Amazon Brand Registry.  Amazon’s Brand Registry provides a variety of tools to monitor brand representation and prevent the sale of counterfeit goods on Amazon. in order to take advantage of the Amazon Brand Registry... See Full Post The post Importance of Trademarks on Amazon’s Brand Registry appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

On January 1, 2024, the US Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) launched the online BOI E-Filing System and began accepting Beneficial Owner Information Reports pursuant to a new compliance regime under the Corporate Transparency Act. 1. Who needs to file? Starting January 1, 2024, all non-exempt entities formed or registered to do... See Full Post The post US Beneficial Ownership Information Registry appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

Starting January 22, 2024, all federal corporations created under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) are required to file information regarding individuals with significant control (ISCs) with Corporations Canada. 1.  Who is an ISC? According to the CBCA, an ISC is an individual (see: human person) that: owns, controls or directs 25% or more of... See Full Post The post New Filing Requirements for Canadian Federal Corporations – Individuals with Significant Control (ISCs) appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

Canadians often ask us to incorporate LLCs.  In response, our answer is always (1) LLCs do not exist in Canada and are only available in the US; and (2) incorporating a LLC for a Canadian tax resident is usually a bad idea. In this blog post we’ll explain what a LLC is, why it’s a... See Full Post The post LLCs are Bad for Canadians (Mostly) appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

For most businesses, infringement of copyright is going to result in lost profits. But what about businesses where infringement of their IP could lead to more engagement and sales? The video game industry has this issue. Developers and publishers want to benefit from the free marketing that comes with their users creating and sharing content... See Full Post The post Does your Game need a ‘Fan-Content Policy?’ appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

We frequently work with Canadian startups operating a U.S. (usually Delaware) company incorporated on their behalf by Stripe Atlas.  On the surface, Stripe’s assistance with incorporating this U.S. company seems convenient and an easy way to meet the U.S. entity requirements to use the Stripe payment processing platform.  However, a number of material issues are... See Full Post The post Problems with Stripe Atlas Incorporation for Canadians appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

As your company grows, you may be looking to expand your team and add to your workforce. When hiring additional employees or engaging independent contractors you need to be well-aware that an independent contractor may actually be considered an employee, regardless of how you label the person. Employees are entitled to rights pursuant to the... See Full Post The post Employees Disguised as Contractors appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) recently announced that it will be accepting requests for expedited examination of trademark applications along with other measures to speed up the trademark registration process in Canada. Before the recent announcements, CIPO took approximately 24-30 months to issue an examiner’s report (also called an office action). The new measures... See Full Post The post Expedited Trademark Examinations in Canada appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

Our clients spend an immense amount of time building their business, from product development, to names and branding.  In this whirlwind of creation, we often encounter businesses that forgot to see if their product or business name is available for trademark.  This is a problem that also arises with third party creative agencies, who have... See Full Post The post Importance of a Trademark Search appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more

On November 3, 2020, California voters approved the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which replaces the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). The CPRA expands consumers’ rights regarding protection of personal information. Companies collecting personal data should review the changes to ensure compliance. Indeed, we anticipate that enforcement of these laws will drastically increase... See Full Post The post Changes to California’s Privacy Law – Consumer Privacy Rights Act appeared first on Voyer Law Corporation | Startup Lawyers | US and Canada ..read more