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For Email Newsletters you can trust About the Smartfast Blog
The pace of business keeps you on the run. You need to make (SMART) decisions and take action quickly (FAST). Business attorney Jean Sifleet created the SMART FAST® blog to help. Whether you’re a start up company or an established company, SMART FAST® provides information that can help you make more informed business decisions. This is information – not legal advice.
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Author Archives: Jean
Internet Piracy – Alternatives to SOPA & PIPA?
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) have stalled – because of widespread opposition from internet companies – including Google, Wikipedia, etc. It’s a complex debate: http://www.pcworld.com/article/248298/sopa_and_pipa_just_the_facts.html Laws change slowly and lag behind technology advances. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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One New Year’s Resolution – to improve your business
Keep it simple – just fix one recurring problem! It’s that time of year – to make New Year’s resolutions. Can you remember what your resolutions were last year? Did you implement them? This year, I suggest that you keep … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Google Books – – What is “Fair Use” in the digital age?
Google Books (http://www.books.google.com) provides access to digitized copies of books. Google scans and indexes the books, making them searchable online. This greatly enhances access to information – from anywhere on the planet. Is this “copyright infringement” or “fair use” in … Continue reading
Posted in Business Practices, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Legal, Uncategorized
Tagged Copyright, Intellectual Property
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WEBSITES – 5 Legal Tips
Websites get stale and out of date. Laws and regulations change. If you haven’t updated your Website in the past 12 months, it’s time for a review. 1. Jurisdiction Statement? The Internet makes access to Websites possible from … Continue reading
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Sweat Equity
In the start up of a business, it’s common for some people to contribute money and others to contribute time and effort with “an understanding” that they will share in the future success of the business. Sometimes “equity earn-ins” are … Continue reading
Social Media – Goals & Guidelines for Business and Personal Use
Social Media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) are used by individuals and companies – and really blur the lines between what’s business and what’s personal. In the workplace, employers set the standards for conduct and acceptable speech. Outside the workplace, … Continue reading
Have you read — “The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women”?
In her new book, Gail McMeekin has pulled together some really practical advice — – into 12 essential steps. The book is inspiring – with the stories and experience of thirty successful women — and the patterns reinforced with her thirty years … Continue reading
Posted in Business Practices, Innovation, Legal, Uncategorized
Tagged Collaboration, Creativity, Entrepreneur, Intellectual Property
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Checklists – Think checklists are boring? Think again.
Or better yet, read The Checklist Manifesto by Boston surgeon Atul Gawande. It’s a great read! With compelling stories and diverse examples (from a broad range of occupations including surgical teams, airline pilots, complex construction projects with many subcontractors, restaurants … Continue reading
Posted in Business Practices, Uncategorized
Tagged checklist, Collaboration, Employees, Intellectual Property
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Beer — a new approach to resolving name disputes
Check out the article in the August 2011 ABA (American Bar Association) Journal concerning two competing micro brewers who decided to resolve their dispute over brewing a Belgian ale that they both named “Salvation.” http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/bottoms_up_litigation_down_microbrewers_forsake_litigation_opt_for_collabor/ Instead of using adversarial legal tactics and … Continue reading
Posted in Intellectual Property, Uncategorized
Tagged Beer, Collaboration, Intellectual Property, Trademark
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Convert “Pirates into Partners”
At a conference on Innovations in Learning, sponsored by Brandon Hall Research (See: www.brandon-hall.com), I learned about how new technologies are being used to create “communities” that engage users – and help to improve products and services and build businesses. … Continue reading
Posted in Business Practices, Business Systems, contracts, Copyright, Innovation, Intellectual Property, Legal, Social Media, The Cloud, Uncategorized, Web-based services
Tagged Amazon, Collaboration, Copyright, eBay, Fair Use, Harry Potter, Intellectual Property, Partners, Pirates, Star Wars
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