Member Spotlight
This week's spotlight is Erin LaGrassa.  Please keep this member top of mind this week for referrals. 

Leads & Introductions
Members presented leads & introductions and told the group who they would like to see win the Super Bowl and who they think will win.

Story Time, cont.
The group was given a follow-up to the story told last week.  The employee showed up for work!  There was continued discussion on rights and I-9 processes. 

Membership Update
Don Ellis has proposed Jeff Flanders of Flanders Cafe as a potential new member.  He has two locations in the East Valley.  If there are no objections, Don will invite him to visit the group and complete an application.

Randy Fornoff has completed his application.  If there are no objections, he will be invited to join our group.

Main Program - Barb Luther
Barb's mission in her practice is to help small businesses.  Today she discusses how members can increase the value of their company by identifying their intellectual property an valuing it.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ANALYSIS FOR MY COMPANY
When - and before - you are ready to sell your company, put the value of you IP on your balance sheet.
Show that to the bank and explain how you value it - what it adds to your balance sheet and business.

Q&A: 
There is a financial commitment to get a patent so you want to think about how you would use the patent.  Tell people about it.  Put SM or TM on it - it's free.  The circled R is not free.  Get your message out there and make money from it.

If someone ignores your cease and desist order you have to decide if you want to send a follow-up, threaten with a lawsuit.

I. BALANCE SHEET
This lists the assets which balance liabilities.

On the asset side, we have Current Assets and Non-current Assets.

Current Assets have a life span of a year or less. They include inventory, cash and cash equivalents adn accounts receivable.  They are readily turned into cash. 

Non-Current Assets are not easily turned into cash and have a longer life-span.  They include such things as machinery and buildings.  there is a subcategory of "INTANGIBLES" that include brands, good will, trademarks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets.

These INTANGIBLES can be valued initially by the amount you spent to secure them. PATENTS, TRADEMARKS AND COPYRIGHTS are initially valued that way.  Later, if you license them out, you would use the term and royalty amount to value them.  The amount you charge over your competition could be used to impute a value for that government-grant right.

II. BUSINESS ACTIVITIES THAT GIVE RISE TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

A. TRADEMARK-ABLE ELEMENTS

Personal name: STARBUCKS, CHANEL fashions, McDonald's
Location: CHAMPAGNE, SONOMA, Scottsdale WaterFront
Slogans:
Letters and numbers: OLDS 98
Foreign language terms: BOTTEGA VENETA
Designs (not is ornamental of common)
Product designs: distinctive bottle shapes
Book titles and characters: MICKEY, MINNIE, THE WOLF, THE LIONESS, TAX GODDESS
Colors: PINK Owen-Corning insulation
Trade Dress: packaging colors and shapes

B. COPYRIGHT-ABLE ELEMENTS

Websites
Books
Plays
Manuals
Software
Photos
Paintings
Wall hangings
Rugs
Songs (recorded and written)

C. PATENTABLE ELEMENTS

New product
New method
Improvements to product, method

III. CHECKLIST FOR YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Unusual set of services
Drawings
Newsletters
Personal name
Location
Slogans
Letters and numbers
Foreign language terms
Designs
Product designs
Newsletter title
Characters
Colors
Trade Dress: colors and shapes
Websites
Books
Plays
Company manuals
Software
Photos
Paintings
Wall hangings
Rugs
Songs/jingles
Special, unique services
Efficiencies with customer benefits
New product
New way of making product
New way of doing business
Improvements to products, methods

REMINDERS

MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS
Deadline - April 15th

Ryan Bohlander ● Joe Arsenault
Joe Hesch ● Phyllis Prater
Jeff Sutherlin ● Nick Carr
Barb Luther ● Joe Zingale
Jim Bache ● Chris Curran
Sandro Menasci ● Don Ellis
Jake Ulrich ● Dave Lathrop
Joe Burr ● Shawn Vigneau
Andrew Jensen ● Stacy Hyder
Erin LaGrassa ● Robert Busch
Nick Mawrenko ● Herb Stokes
Dave Crissman ● Mark Menasci
Janice Jaicks ● Terry Schnelle

BUDDY LUNCH PAIRINGS
Deadline - January 27th

Andy J ● Dave L ● Joe B
Joe Z ● Done E ● Shawn V
Jake U ● Herb S ● Jeff S
Janice J ● Dave C ● Joe A
Chris C ● Bob B ● Phyllis P
Sandro M ● Terry S ● Nick M.
Mark M ● Nick C ● Jim B ● Erin L
Joe H ● Barb L ● Ryan B