Blog Entries

What the Drug Developer Should Know About the Patent Process (Part 1 of 10)

mfarber@test.com — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Introduction

The nature of the United States patent system means that, in preparing a patent application, you must work closely with the scientists and inventors who are responsible for developing the new discoveries. With one limited exception, you only get one chance; you do not get a second. The exception is a provisional application, which allows a one-year period before the filing of a second application. However, a provisional application can be us [...]

Is This Good Law?

test@test.com — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:00:00 +0100

According to the following authority, which as of the date of this blog
is still good law in California, “Even fraudulent, perjurious and
malicious ‘publications’ and ‘broadcasts’ are absolutely privileged so
long as they are (i) required or permitted by law, (ii) made in a
judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding, (iii) by litigants or other
participants authorized by law, (iv) to achieve the objects of the
litigation, and (v) have some connection or logica [...]

Alter Ego Claims-Closely Held Corporations

cvillasenor@catalystlaw.com — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:00:00 +0100

A. ALTER EGO CLAIMS

1. CLOSELY HELD CORPORATIONS

Are you the sole shareholder of a corporation? Is your company at risk of a lawsuit or unable to pay its debts? Even if you hired an attorney to incorporate and prepare initial minutes, if you dominated and controlled the company, failed to maintain adequate entity minutes or records, commingled personal and corporate funds, you can be held personally liable for the corporation&rsquo [...]

Introduction to Patents

tfitzwilliam@catalystlaw.com — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:42:11 +0100

Have you invented something useful or do you have a product idea
that competitors may want to steal? How can a patent lawyer help you
with Federal Patent Protection?

Hiring an intellectual property
attorney can help you get a federal patent grant, that’ll allow you to
have a legal monopoly over a product or method lasting for
approximately 20 years. It is not a right to make or use an invention
but rather a right to exclude others from making or using (in addit [...]

Funding � Where to Get It and Who Provides It?

test@test.com — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Part 3 of a 3 Part Series

What is a hedge fund?

A hedge fund is a fund, usually used by wealthy individuals and institutions, which is allowed to use aggressive strategies that are unavailable to mutual funds, including selling short, leverage, program trading, swaps, arbitrage, and derivatives. Hedge funds are exempt from many of the rules and regulations governing other mutual funds, which allow them to accomplish aggressive investing goals. They [...]

Funding � Where to Get It and Who Provides It?

test@test.com — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Part 2 of a 3 Part Series

What exactly is an “angel investor”?

Entrepreneurs who launch smaller-scale enterprises know that commercial banks generally don't lend funds to ventures with little or no assets, customer base or sales track record. And venture capitalists typically work with business concepts that are already up and running with the potential for multimillion dollar revenues. Many of the owners of smaller firms have heard that [...]

Funding � Where to Get It and Who Provides It?

test@test.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Part 1 of a 3 Part Series

As a San Diego lawyer, I am frequently asked questions regarding funding and how to get it. Below I have written out some definitions and explanations that I think will be useful in regards to funding.

Venture capital is money provided by professionals who invest alongside management in young, rapidly growing companies that have the potential to develop into significant economic contributors. Venture capital is an important source of [...]

Trademark Law Basics

tfitzwilliam@catalystlaw.com — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Protecting your Brand, Boosting its Value, Including Guidelines for Sound Brand Management.

What is a Trademark?

A trademark is a word or design that identifies and distinguishes products or services in the marketplace. Sounds and combinations of words, symbols, letters and numbers, in addition to smells and shapes of packaging can also be distinctive marks. In short, a trademark is a brand. For example, if you were raising ca [...]

Effective Executive Summary- San Diego Business Lawyers

cturnquist@proteusdesignstudio.com — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

This slide show is intended to provide a brief overview of a proper business executive summary as seen from the point of view of prospective investors. Catalyst Law Group is a dynamic San Diego business law firm that is uniquely positioned to serve domestic and international business clients. We hope you find these slides helpful for business planning purposes.

[video:http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mwl9iq3J1A4 450x400]

U.S. Tax Court Issues Favorable Ruling in Family Limited Liability Company Case

webmaster@proteusdesignstudio.com — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Over the past several years the IRS has had several high profile victories in cases involving taxpayers’ use of family limited partnerships or LLCs as vehicles to achieve valuation discounts to reduce the tax upon transfers of wealth to their heirs. Many of these rulings have come out of “bad facts” cases where the taxpayer either did not respect the formalities of the entity or there was no real purpose to the entity except to achieve tax savings. However, in the recent c [...]

Certainty in an Uncertain Economy

test@test.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

Let’s face it everyone needs legal services even in an uncertain economy. We seem to be in this uncertain and scary time right now with rising prices of every commodity. Under these situations what people tend to do is to hold on to their cash as long as possible and spend only when necessary, or fall back on the “I can do it my self” theory.

These two options do not have to be your only choice. Catalyst Law Group of San Diego is reintroducing [...]

Sustainable Real Estate Development

test@test.com — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:00:00 +0100

My name is Michael Lane, and I am an associate with Catalyst Law Group, APC, in San Diego, CA, and a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Young Leaders – San Diego Chapter. In a past life, I worked as an assistant project manager for two real estate development firms of varied size on several residential and commercial projects of varied complexity. Currently, I head Catalyst’s Sustainable Building initiative.

Observing our local community’s emerging inte [...]

Welcome to the Catalyst Blog

test@test.com — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:00:00 +0100

“Catalyst” - a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any change: somebody or something that makes a change happen or brings about an event: a means, a channel, a medium for change. Catalyst Law Group was created to fill this role for the San Diego business community – a law firm that increases the rate of success without compromising integrity, a business that makes change happen, and serves as a channel and medium for change an [...]