As a business owner in Michigan or Illinois, you want your business to stand out from your competitors. One way of accomplishing this is by obtaining a trademark. The terms "trademark" and "brand name" are interchangeable; yet, according to FindLaw, in addition to words or names, a trademark can also be a device, a symbol or any combination of the four, used to indicate the source of goods for sale and to extinguish the goods from a particular seller or manufacturer from the goods sold or manufactured by competitors.
Understanding LLCs
Entrepreneurs in Illinois and Michigan must choose how they would like new ventures to be managed and how they prefer their businesses to be taxed. A company may be established as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or a limited liability company. Each framework has its own sets of pros and cons, so people should review each one carefully.
Bank accused of racial discrimination in mortgage lending
Many people throughout Michigan and across the country still face unlawful discrimination in housing and lending. According to a new lawsuit, Liberty Bank discriminated against mortgage borrowers in African American and Latino neighborhoods in two Connecticut cities. The lawsuit was filed by the National Consumer Law Center and the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. They accused the bank of "redlining," denying home loans or avoiding giving credit to buyers because of the racial or ethnic identifications of their neighborhoods.
Arguments surrounding non-compete agreements
Businesses in certain industries often ask employees to sign non-compete agreements as a part of the hiring process. These agreements restrict employees from working in similar industries or for companies that are in direct competition with the business once workers have terminated their employment with the company. If an employee should quit and go to work for an opposing company, they may share information that could hurt their current employer. Non-compete clauses are implemented as a way to keep trade secrets and other company information private.
