Legal

Getting started

3 articles

Where can I find legal document templates?

Tool Kit

What are some good reads on legal matters?

Hiring your first lawyer

5 articles

What is a startup program at a law firm?

Where can I find startup lawyers in Boston?

What are the questions I should be asking an attorney?

What legal documents do I need from my lawyer?

How should I think about my relationship with my lawyer?

Company formation / incorporation

10 articles

What is incorporation?

When should I incorporate?

How do I file papers for incorporation?

What is the difference between a C-corp, an S-corp and an LLC?

What is a B-Corp or B-Corporation?

Difference between B-Corp and Public Benefit Corporation (PBC)

What are the accounting and tax ramifications of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization?

Do I need to predefine the shares and vesting schedule before incorporation?

Can some of the founders not have a Tax ID because they are not in the US?

For the address of the corporation, could it just be a home address, should i get a virtual PO?

Founder's Agreement

3 articles

How do I build a great Founder's Agreement?

Where can I find a template for a Founder's Agreement?

What should a founder’s agreement include dependent on the stage of the company?

Everything about stock and stock options

5 articles

Where can I go to learn about stock and stock options?

What is a capitalization table or cap table?

What is "vesting"?

Why is vesting important?

Can I pay my employees in equity and not in cash?

Intellectual Property Protection

23 articles

Why do entrepreneurs need to protect their technical and scientific innovations?

How can I protect my innovations? I’ve heard of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, etc.

I don’t have the resources to sue someone who is infringing. Why bother patenting my invention?

How do I get a patent? Can I prepare a patent myself? I can write a good technical description.

What experience should I look for in a good patent attorney or patent agent?

What if I told someone about my innovation? Is it too late to protect it?

What are the legal requirements to get a patent?

How do I find out if someone else invented my concept first? Is there a way to search for my concept?

Someone told me not to search patents because it can get me in trouble. Is that true?

Is software patentable?

Even if I can legally get a patent, are there reasons to not get a patent?

What is a Provisional Patent Application?

What is the difference between a utility patent and a design patent?

After I file my patent, I can sell my patented product with no worries, right?

MIT owns some patents that I’d like to use. How can I do that?

What are common license terms for intellectual property?

A license sounds like a big commitment. I’m not ready for that yet. Can I wait a while to take a license?

Does my US patent protect me in other countries?

How do I handle international filings?

External content: What is the patent process? (Via Dragon Innovation)

External content: Cheat Sheet for Intellectual Property from Bricolage Law LLC

External Content: Do entrepreneurs really need patents? (via MIT Bootcamps)

External content: MIT Bootcamps webinar series on IP Law

NDAs

9 articles

What is an NDA?

Who can sign an NDA on behalf of a startup?

What are the different kinds of NDAs?

What is a unilateral NDA?

What is a bilateral NDA?

What is a multilateral NDA?

Will VCs sign an NDA?

When should I consider signing an NDA?

Why is it a bad idea to sign an NDA?

Immigration Law

4 articles

U.S. Visa Process for International Founders

Starting a company as a foreign student

Where can I learn more about immigrant entrepreneurship?

How do I hire someone who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to join my company?

Employee or Subcontractor?

1 article

Should I classify my staff as employees or subcontractors?