In Los Angeles or Hollywood, countless directors, actors, musicians, song writers, screenplay writers, producers, and others wanting to “make it big” in entertainment compete for the most sought-after careers every day. If you are a talented individual who dreams of having your screenplay taken to the big screen, getting to the point where your writing is complete and you are ready to submit it to a production company, film festival, or even a contest can be so thrilling, you completely forget about protecting your masterpiece. While most in the industry would never steal others’ ideas or stories, unfortunately it DOES happen.

So, what can you do to ensure your screenplay is protected? Here are a few things to consider. First and foremost, until you have taken action to protect your screenplay, do not submit it or share it with anyone. Sometimes it’s those you trust most – even a writing partner – that may try to take your creative work or ideas and run with it!

First and foremost, copyright your screenplay with the Library of Congress. You may want to consider registering it with the WGA, or Writers Guild of America, as well. It costs just $30 to file a copyright, a tiny investment considering you have protection in case of litigation, and it’s good for your entire life and beyond. Registering with the WGA is just $20 for non-members, so in total you can expect to spend about $50. Considering the potential worth of your screenplay, it is a very small price to pay.

Provide a copy of your screenplay to your business attorney.

Understand that while you do not legally have to file copyright with the Library of Congress in order for your work to be copyrighted, you will not be able to collect monetary damages without filing a copyright. When your creative work is fixed in its written form, it is copyrighted – but this only gives you the authority to stop others from stealing your work.

Keep a log of all information when you share your screenplay with anyone. Giving your work to someone else for their opinion is scary, no doubt. In order to protect your work a bit further, keep a log of every single person/production company you give a copy of your screenplay to. This info should include name/date/contact information. You may also want to consider sending just a query initially. This way, if an agency or production company actually requests the script, you have proof (paper trail) that the agency requested your full screenplay, and that you did not just send it off of your own accord.

Even if you are the most trusting person in the world, it is still vital that you take steps to protect your screenplay. At Spotora & Associates, our LA entertainment lawyers are dedicated to helping ensure our clients’ goals are met, and providing you with the legal guidance and support necessary to make smart business decisions.

Beginning November 17, participating Dunkin’ Donuts franchises will be offering specials on the brand’s famous coffee and hot chocolate through the holiday season. Whether you enjoy Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Original Blend, or Dunkin’ Decaf, all will be available for $19.99 for three pounds, plus applicable tax. Dunkin’ Donuts also has a new dark roast coffee available for the special holiday price, Rainforest Alliance Certified Dark Roast Coffee, according to a news article at Market Watch.

One of the best-known franchises around the world, Dunkin’ Donuts currently has restaurants located in 33 countries around the world, for a total of 11,000 stores. A market leader in donuts, muffins, bagels, and flavored/iced coffee, the franchise was founded in 1950.

The special holiday price of three pounds for $19.99 helps consumers enjoy the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays even more, sipping on their favorite flavors at home or serving them up at holiday dinners and family gatherings. In addition, participating franchises will be offering the entire line of K-Cup® packs for a low price of $15.99 plus applicable tax for two boxes of their most popular flavors. Hot cocoa is also available for a limited time. All of the Dunkin’ Donuts K-Cup® packs are designed to be used with the Keurig® Single-Cup Brewing system. 8 oz. bags of Colombian packaged coffee are also available, and ideal for Christmas stocking stuffers.

As Los Angeles franchise attorneys who are highly familiar with the most famous brands in the U.S., we know tens of thousands of people will be taking advantage of the specials offered at participating Dunkin’ Donuts this holiday season. When you’re out and about shopping or grabbing something sweet and delicious before you head outside to decorate the house or shovel snow, nothing is quite like a mouth-watering donut and a great cup of Joe. Remember the company’s ad campaign, “America Runs on Dunkin.”

Considering the purchase of a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise? Before you sign on the dotted line or decide it is the perfect opportunity for you, learn all you can about the pros and cons of franchising. At Spotora & Associates, we can help ensure that your franchising efforts are a profitable venture, rather than a disappointing failure.

Recent news reports reveal that Choose Energy, an online marketplace that informs consumers regarding various energy suppliers, has filed a lawsuit against API or American Petroleum Institute for trademark violations, business code violations, unfair competition, and more. American Petroleum Institute is a major lobbying group for big oil, according to a recent article at Courthouse News Service.

Choose Energy, Inc. makes it possible for consumers to explore various energy options such as solar and wind power, and also provides information such as price comparisons so that customers can see the differences between local providers of gas, oil, and other traditional fuels and renewable energy sources. As a rival company promoting gas, oil, and fossil fuels, API is accused of attempting to confuse the market in an effort to damage Choose Energy’s brand. In fact, API has purchased the domain name ChooseEnergy.org, while Choose Energy’s domain name is ChooseEnergy.com.

Some customers have contacted Choose Energy in error, believing they are associated with American Petroleum Institute’s fossil fuel agenda. Executives at Choose Energy believe the efforts made by API are damaging the company’s reputation by confusing and deceiving consumers.

API populated the ChooseEnergy.org website with data regarding gas and oil, statistics, and break downs by state. People who have gone to ChooseEnergy.org by mistake, believing it to be the company website of Choose Energy, Inc. have questioned those with the company on Twitter about whether they are a political organization. Given the clearly confused consumers and API’s choice of domain names, it looks as though the big oil lobbying group has at least partially accomplished their mission. Now, API may be faced with an uphill legal battle as Choose Energy seeks monetary damages, an injunction, and treble damages for the “egregious and exceptional nature of API’s conduct.”

When companies purposely work to damage their competitors, mislead consumers, or create market confusion, it is a violation of trademark law. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous businesses avoid being held accountable for their actions by using loopholes in the law.

If your brand is being attacked by a rival, it is vital to take legal action. At Spotora & Associates, our Los Angeles trademark attorneys are highly skilled and experienced; we know how to fight back, and will use all of our knowledge and resources to put up a vigorous fight in our efforts to achieve your desired result.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an article regarding the ten worst franchise brands in terms of SBA, or small business administration loan defaults. Among the ten franchises mentioned in the article were Quiznos, Huntington Learning Centers, Cold Stone Creamery, and Planet Beach, which came in at number one with a default rate for SBA loans at a whopping 41% over the last decade.

As highly experienced Los Angeles business attorneys, we deal with people who are interested in franchising opportunities all the time. For many people, being able to join a system and build a business with the support of franchisors who will assist with marketing, sales, and that already has a process in place sounds like a dream – and unfortunately, in many cases it truly is “just a dream.” If you are considering a franchise opportunity, it is critical that you do your due diligence and learn all you can about the franchise. While you may believe that you will have a substantial amount of support getting your franchise off the ground, it is rare that franchisees receive the sales and marketing assistance necessary to achieve success. Know that for the most part all of the hard work will be up to you to get customers in the door, and you may enjoy the success you have dreamed of.

Owning one or more franchises can be wonderful, and for many people it does work. If you have significant financial resources and motivation to put in the time and effort, franchising can be one of the smartest moves a person can make. While franchisors should be interested in the success of their franchisees, this is not usually the case. Franchisors unfortunately do not often bear any responsibility at all when a franchisee is struggling financially, or has even lost his or her life savings.

Considering the bad news regarding the default rates of some well-known franchise brands, anyone considering a franchise should perform thorough research and discuss what all is involved with an LA business lawyer who is highly familiar with the complexities and risks of franchising. At Spotora & Associates, we want to help ensure your success to the greatest extent possible.