Intellectual Property, Business, and Estate Planning

King Patent Law, PLLC

Protecting your ideas, business, and legacy

Business Law Services

Formation

Selecting the right business entity (corporation, LLC, partnership, etc.) from the beginning helps ensure smooth operation and growth of your business.

There are many issues to consider when deciding which entity is best for your situation, including ownership, purpose of the business, taxes, and liability.

We know the right questions to ask you to make sure we create a great plan for your current needs, growth, and unexpected events.

We help you determine which type of business entity is best for your current needs and future plans.

Then we assist with the technicalities of formation and draft the important documents that protect you.

Transactions, Compliance, and Changes

Transactions

We can help draft, review, and negotiate contracts for most business situations, including

sales,
leases,
negotiable interests,
secured transactions,
employment agreements,
independent contractor agreements, and
non-disclosure agreements / confidentiality agreements.

We can also draft and review company policy documents, such as

bylaws,
sexual harassment policies,
data security policies,
anti-retaliation policies,
background check policies,
vacation policies,
leave policies,
etc.

Compliance

We can help you with:

Recordkeeping assistance
Annual Report filing
Registered Agent services

Changes

We can assist you with:

buying, selling, or otherwise transferring ownership of all or part of a business;
changing entity structure for an existing business, such as moving from a sole proprietorship to an LLC or C-corporation;
amendments to operating agreements, bylaws, and stockholder agreements;
assumed names; and
registration and domestication of businesses from other states.

Intellectual Property Protection

You work hard to build your business and brand, so it’s important to protect the intellectual property you create, whether it’s the core material of your business, or whether it’s the logos and slogans you use for promotion.

We can help you

register, maintain, license, and protect patents for your inventions;
register, maintain, license, and protect trademarks that identify your brand;
copyright material authored by you or your business; and
protect your trade secrets and other confidential information.

Not Ready to Hire An Attorney Yet? Start Here:

Is Your Business Legally Sound?

Get the 7-Point Business Checkup Checklist to find out (before you find out the hard way).

$27 that could save you thousands and keep serious problems from happening.

Recent Posts About Business Law

Your Content Deal Has Claws

What Coca-Cola Did to Johnny Cash — And Why Every Creator Should Be Terrified

Last November, the Johnny Cash estate sued Coca-Cola for using a tribute singer specifically chosen to sound like the Man in Black, without permission, without a license, without paying a single cent. Sound familiar? It should. Frito-Lay tried the exact same thing with Tom Waits in 1992 and lost two and a half million dollars. Brands have been stealing artists’ voices, content, and identities for decades. And it’s not just celebrities at risk. If you’re a creator signing brand deals, or a business hiring influencers, your contracts may be doing the same thing right now without you realizing it. I’m Julie King, a patent and IP attorney with over 25 years of experience, and today we’re talking about the three legal traps hiding in almost every influencer and marketing contract.

April 21, 2026

AI Tools and Attorney-Client Privilege: What the Heppner Decision Means for You

Here is the AI and privacy issue that is not getting enough attention: AI meeting transcription tools.
Also, there is a federal court decision from earlier this year that has been generating a lot of conversation in legal circles, and a lot of confusion. If you have seen headlines like “court rules AI chats are not privileged” or “your AI conversations can be used against you,” here is the accurate version of what actually happened and what it means for you.
What about your attorney using AI? Here’s what you need to know.

April 16, 2026

IP Strategy for Creatives: Protect Your Art, Your Brand, and Your Business

The Four Intellectual Property Tools Every Creative Needs in Their Arsenal: When we talk about intellectual property, we are talking about four main categories: copyright, trademark, patents, and trade secrets. As a creative, your work often touches multiple categories at once. Understanding which protects what is the foundation of any smart IP strategy.

March 31, 2026

Zombie Businesses: Avoiding the IP and Succession Nightmare

Zombie Businesses: Avoiding the IP and Succession Nightmare

A zombie business is what happens when a business loses its owner or a key owner without any plan in place for what comes next. The owner is gone, but the business staggers forward without direction, without legal authority, and without any structure to resolve the chaos.

It can happen when a founder dies, becomes incapacitated, or simply wants to retire. It can happen when a co-founder relationship falls apart with no exit plan. But death is the clearest example, and it is where the consequences hit hardest.

March 17, 2026

Is your business cursed? 7-Point legal business checkup

Is Your Business Cursed (But You Don’t Know It Yet?) 7-Point Legal Checkup

Are there horrors lurking in your business’s outdated operating agreements or bylaws, problematic contractor agreements, expired licenses, or other dusty business corners? If you’re not sure, right now is the time to find out, before they cause serious problems. This is essential business maintenance you need to do at least once a year. This article, gives you a clear 7-point checklist you can work through now to save yourself major headaches.

March 10, 2026

Fortress or Castle? LLC vs. Corporation (Which Do You Need?)

Fortress or Castle? LLC vs. Corporation (Which Do You Need?)

For most small businesses: Start with an LLC. It provides liability protection and flexibility without excessive formalities.
Choose C-Corp only if:
• You’re raising venture capital,
• You’re planning to go public, or
• You need multiple classes of stock.
Consider S-Corp election when:
• You’re profitable (ask your tax professional),
• You work full-time for the business, and
• You want to reduce self-employment tax.

January 23, 2026