TOP 10 MISTAKES MADE BY TRADEMARK OWNERS

In most jurisdictions, the majority of trademark filings are made by small businesses and entrepreneurs or solopreneurs. When starting a business, it is easy to get caught up on getting your business off the ground. Below outlines the TOP 10 mistakes trademark owners can make (and we will teach you how to avoid them and MUCH more in our seminar, ABC’s of Protecting Your Brand, on February 20, 2019).

1. Not Realizing That Protecting Trademarks Could Create Value for Your Business.

Most new businesses should analyze the value of their business from the start. While most businesses operate out of rented/leased space or straight out of the owner’s home and rely on loans to promote their services or financing for product inventory, businesses fall short in adding value to their own brand name. When it’s time to sell or liquidate businesses are left with little or no assets apart from their client lists and intellectual property, if any. Not investing in protecting their trademarks will diminish the value of their business in the future.

ZTE Barred by U.S. Government & ZTE Fights Back!

Background

China-based Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd (collectively “ZTE”) entered a guilty plea and agreed to pay a combined penalty up to $1.19 billion to settle criminal and civil allegations that ZTE violated U.S. export control laws and U.S. sanctions by illegally shipping U.S.-origin items to Iran.

The record-breaking settlement agreement was with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”). The penalty assessed against ZTE included a $100,871,266 civil monetary penalty imposed by OFAC; a $430,488,798 in combined criminal fines and forfeitures; and a $661,000,000 penalty payable to BIS, of which $300,000,000 were suspended for a seven-year probationary period.

2018 Seminars - We Want to Hear from YOU!

DTL is Planning Our 2018 Seminars AND WANTS YOUR Input!!

We want our 2018 Seminars to answer the import/export questions you have! Please provide your

comments by voting below!

Please VOTE here! 

If you have any specific comments you want to share with us, please email us at info@diaztradelaw.com.

Help Us Celebrate 2017 Successes!

DTL saved clients MILLIONS of dollars in 2017, below we list a summary of some of our compliance successes! Let us assist you in 2018!

U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP)

• Assisted importers in filing prior disclosures that were accepted by CBP and/or DOC and avoiding substantial penalties.
• Assisted importers in successfully responding to CBP 28’s and 29’s resulting in close outs, and no further enforcement action by CBP!
• Assisted importers in creating and maintaining pre-compliance programs to evaluate intellectual property rights and pre-report merchandise to CBP resulting in expedited entry into the U.S. with no delays or examinations by CBP.

AILA CLE Luncheon: Ports of Entry – Searches, Seizures and More!

Do you know rights (and your clients’ rights) when encountering law enforcement at airports and other ports of entry? Join us at The Rusty Pelican on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, at 11:45AM for an interactive discussion on various issues being encountered by travelers at ports of entry. Our panel of experts will discuss:

FREE World Trade Month Seminar on AD/CVD & CBP ENFORCEMENT

Importers, here is your chance to learn all about the hot topic of AD/CVD. In celebration of World Trade Month, Diaz Trade Law is providing the trade community a valuable opportunity to speak direct with Supervisory Import Specialists with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and a legal expert to address your questions and concerns relating to CBP’s role in administering and enforcing imports subject to AD/CVD.

In Fiscal Year 2016, CBP Processed $14 billion of imported goods subject to AD/CVD, and collected $1.5 billion in cash deposits. By the end of the fiscal year, $2.8 billion in AD/CVD duties were still owed to the U.S. (dating back to 2001). From fiscal year 2015 to 2016, AD/CVD cash deposits increased over 25 percent.

Learn directly from CBP on AD/CVD Compliance and Enforcement! With President Trumps new Executive Order mandating a plan by June 29 “to require importers deemed a risk to U.S. revenue to provide security for AD and CVD liability through bonds and other legal measures”- many questions arise! Now's your time to ask them!!

You have a limited time to RSVP to this event for FREE!!! Yes, for FREE. We find this information to be invaluable so Diaz Trade Law is sponsoring this event, to bring it to you for FREE. RSVP today! Our full event agenda including the who, what, when, and where is below. 

Don't miss it!

Don't Gamble with Compliance

Are you interested in e-Commerce? Have a desire to go to Vegas?

Diaz Trade Law founder Jennifer Diaz will be speaking at the upcoming Massconversions Live e-Commerce conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jennifer’s presentation will focus on the TOP 10 Tips to Comply with Customs When Buying Online. Attendees will, by the end of her presentation, know and understand the importance of:

• Tariff classification
• Customs valuation
• Country of origin marking
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection and CBP Enforcement
• Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)

Attendees will also learn basic customs concepts and terms like: