Louisiana Articles & Resources - Hampton Law Firm

FROM JUDITH’S DESK — NOTE DATED AUGUST 15, 2026 A collection of thoughts that didn’t make it to the blog. At some point, every small-business owner creates a logo in Canva, types a copyright symbol beneath it, registers an LLC with the Secretary of State, purchases a domain name, and goes to sleep believing she has now secured every intellectual-property right available under the United States Constitution. I understand this because confidence is free, while an actual tradema

FROM JUDITH’S DESK — NOTE DATED AUGUST 15, 2026 A collection of thoughts that didn’t make it to the blog. People talk about getting a patent as though it is similar to registering a vehicle. You invent something, complete a government form, pay a fee, and receive a certificate confirming that nobody else may ever touch your idea again. That is not how any of this works. A patent is a limited right granted by the federal government for certain inventions. A utility patent may

FROM JUDITH’S DESK — NOTE DATED AUGUST 15, 2026 A collection of thoughts that didn’t make it to the blog. North Louisiana has always had a very flexible definition of the word secret. A secret may be shared with your mother, your sister, two cousins, the woman who does your taxes, somebody you sat beside at a funeral, and one trusted friend who has never kept a damn thing confidential in her entire life. But everybody was told not to repeat it, so technically we are all still

YOU CREATED SOMETHING. NOW HOW DO YOU KEEP PEOPLE FROM STEALING IT? Frequently Asked Questions About Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and the Things People Swear They Own Someone creates something new—a tool, a training course, a photograph, a barbecue sauce, a business name, a construction process, a hair-extension method, a hunting product, a children’s book, or a system that somehow convinces grown adults to submit paperwork on time—and almost immediately says: “I need to