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Getting started
3 articles
Where can I find legal document templates?
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Tool Kit
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What are some good reads on legal matters?
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Hiring your first lawyer
5 articles
What is a startup program at a law firm?
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Where can I find startup lawyers in Boston?
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What are the questions I should be asking an attorney?
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What legal documents do I need from my lawyer?
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How should I think about my relationship with my lawyer?
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Company formation / incorporation
10 articles
What is incorporation?
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When should I incorporate?
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How do I file papers for incorporation?
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What is the difference between a C-corp, an S-corp and an LLC?
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What is a B-Corp or B-Corporation?
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Difference between B-Corp and Public Benefit Corporation (PBC)
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What are the accounting and tax ramifications of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization?
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Do I need to predefine the shares and vesting schedule before incorporation?
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Can some of the founders not have a Tax ID because they are not in the US?
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For the address of the corporation, could it just be a home address, should i get a virtual PO?
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Founder's Agreement
3 articles
How do I build a great Founder's Agreement?
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Where can I find a template for a Founder's Agreement?
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What should a founder’s agreement include dependent on the stage of the company?
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Everything about stock and stock options
5 articles
Where can I go to learn about stock and stock options?
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What is a capitalization table or cap table?
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What is "vesting"?
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Why is vesting important?
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Can I pay my employees in equity and not in cash?
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Intellectual Property Protection
23 articles
Why do entrepreneurs need to protect their technical and scientific innovations?
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How can I protect my innovations? I’ve heard of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, etc.
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I don’t have the resources to sue someone who is infringing. Why bother patenting my invention?
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How do I get a patent? Can I prepare a patent myself? I can write a good technical description.
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What experience should I look for in a good patent attorney or patent agent?
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What if I told someone about my innovation? Is it too late to protect it?
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What are the legal requirements to get a patent?
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How do I find out if someone else invented my concept first? Is there a way to search for my concept?
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Someone told me not to search patents because it can get me in trouble. Is that true?
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Is software patentable?
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Even if I can legally get a patent, are there reasons to not get a patent?
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What is a Provisional Patent Application?
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What is the difference between a utility patent and a design patent?
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After I file my patent, I can sell my patented product with no worries, right?
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MIT owns some patents that I’d like to use. How can I do that?
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What are common license terms for intellectual property?
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A license sounds like a big commitment. I’m not ready for that yet. Can I wait a while to take a license?
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Does my US patent protect me in other countries?
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How do I handle international filings?
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External content: What is the patent process? (Via Dragon Innovation)
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External content: Cheat Sheet for Intellectual Property from Bricolage Law LLC
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External Content: Do entrepreneurs really need patents? (via MIT Bootcamps)
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External content: MIT Bootcamps webinar series on IP Law
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NDAs
9 articles
What is an NDA?
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Who can sign an NDA on behalf of a startup?
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What are the different kinds of NDAs?
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What is a unilateral NDA?
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What is a bilateral NDA?
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What is a multilateral NDA?
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Will VCs sign an NDA?
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When should I consider signing an NDA?
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Why is it a bad idea to sign an NDA?
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Immigration Law
4 articles
Starting a company as a foreign student
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U.S. Visa Process for International Founders
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Where can I learn more about immigrant entrepreneurship?
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How do I hire someone who is not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to join my company?
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Employee or Subcontractor?
1 article
Should I classify my staff as employees or subcontractors?
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