“There’s no need for a distribution agreement – with payment up front, what could go wrong?”

“Distribution agreements are straight forward. Cover off on transfer of title and the ordering process and you’re set – right?”

We increasingly come across individuals or businesses that are self-filing trade marks and managing their own portfolios. Their reasoning – why pay a lawyer to do it, when I can do it cheaper? Well, here are a few reasons that might make you reconsider self-filing a trade mark.  

Have you ever copied a photograph from the internet without seeking permission from the owner? An American photographer has recently pursued a travel agent operating in Melbourne for the unauthorised use of a picture of Hawaii. 

If you are a regular user of Twitter, you may randomly discover one day that your Twitter account has been hacked. This involves unusual and often short tweets being sent directly to your followers, using their @ Twitter handle and including a question designed to drive followers to the accompanying link. Fear not -such spam is usually harmless and the issue is easily rectifiable.

‘Entrepreneur’ is no longer a dirty word. Once considered a term self-claimed by unemployed middle aged men, [1] entrepreneurism has hit the limelight. With increased accessibility to cost effective business models, passionate individuals are now pursuing their start-up ventures at a rate not seen before.

But one thing hasn’t (and won’t) change. Start-ups are cash-strapped and often look to cut corners. Some legal corners, however, can be costly or devastating to the development of a start-up. Here are our top 5 lessons you don’t want to learn the hard way.