Attorney David Lizerbram shares what trademarks do and how they protect your brand. Find out the most important thing you should do right now and how to trademark your business.
David Lizerbram is an attorney who helps entrepreneurs around the country achieve their business goals and protect their brands. His firm, David Lizerbram & Associates, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2015. David’s primary areas of practice are intellectual property and contract law. David graduated from USC Cinema School and Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. David speaks and writes regularly about legal matters, and has been a panelist at San Diego Comic-Con every year since 2008. In 2011, David was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown to the Board of Directors of the Del Mar Fairgrounds, where he served until his term expired in January 2015. David also serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Music Foundation and is a co-founder of the Craft Beer Association of San Diego. David lives in North Park, San Diego with his wife, Mana Monzavi, principal of Monzavi Consulting, an online marketing firm, and their dog Spooky. In his spare time, David enjoys playing music and listening to a lot of podcasts.
Think Like A Journalist Quote
“Everything in life is a story. Everything. We are born–which is a story–and we die, the end of that story and perhaps the beginning of another. Our life in between was a story, a book, in fact, every day a page of the story.” –Gerry Spence
Success Quote
“It’s not what a movie is about; it’s how it is about it.” –Roger Ebert
The details and the emotional stakes are what matter.
Career Highlight
David worked on a case that many previous lawyers, after spending decades working on the problem, said couldn’t it be solved. David and his colleagues then spent years on the project, often without pay, until they finally solved the issue. Find out what kept him going and the lesson it taught him.
When It Didn’t Work
Law school doesn’t teach you to run a business. David learned the hard way that you have to keep marketing and develop an authentic personal brand. Find out what David did to keep the outreach going to minimize the slow periods.
You have to find the balance: focus on your marketing & your production.
Provide service to others; even if you won’t get anything in return.
Trademark Advice
- A trademark is anything that identifies your company as the source of goods or services.
- Don’t describe a word-based trademark; name it.
- Do your due diligence; make sure you can own the brand name, slogan or business name.
- Register the trademark to prevent others from using it.
- Use an attorney who is experienced with registering trademarks.
Multimedia Resource
Book, Documentary, Podcast, Internet Channel
The Path To Power: The Years Of Lyndon Johnson, Robert A. Caro
Resource Link
Blog post: Copyright Question: Can I Play Music on my Podcast?
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