Chris Brown

founder of Venture Legal

Recent Articles by Chris Brown

Chris Brown, Venture Legal, Contract Canvas

Entrepreneurs’ intellectual property rights: Invention theft prevention using patents

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary — the fourth in a four-part series — are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column is intended to be general in detail and does not constitute legal advice. When someone secures patent…

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Chris Brown, Venture Legal, Contract Canvas

Entrepreneurs’ intellectual property rights: How to protect trade secrets shouldn’t be a mystery

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary — the third in a four-part series — are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column is intended to be general in detail and does not constitute legal advice. With both federal and…

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Chris Brown, Venture Legal, Contract Canvas

Entrepreneurs’ intellectual property rights: Trademarks more complicated than slapping on a ‘TM’ emoji

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary — the second in a four-part series — are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column is intended to be general in detail and does not constitute legal advice. Understanding intellectual property law…

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Chris Brown, Venture Legal, Contract Canvas

Entrepreneurs’ intellectual property rights: This is where things get tricky

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary — the first in a four-part series — are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column is intended to be general in detail and does not constitute legal advice. For many new businesses,…

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Pivoting to freelance: Being a solopreneur doesn’t mean you have to work alone

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column — originally published by Venture Legal and part of a limited series on freelance entrepreneurism — is intended to be general in detail and does…

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Photo courtesy of Venture Legal

Pivoting to freelance: Create a brand that speaks for you when you’re not in the room

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column — originally published by Venture Legal and part of a limited series on freelance entrepreneurism — is intended to be general in detail and does…

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Photo courtesy of Venture Legal

Pivoting to freelance: Getting started on your own takes step-by-step attention to detail

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column — originally published by Venture Legal and part of a limited series on freelance entrepreneurism — is intended to be general in detail and does…

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KC Legal Hackers plan full-day law and technology conference

Entrepreneurs in the Kansas City startup community know full well that business is evolving at an unprecedented rate. Unfortunately, lawyers don’t have a reputation for keeping up. But thanks to new efforts, that is changing. Legal Hackers — a global movement of lawyers and other legal professionals — is pushing the legal industry forward. Through…

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Councilwoman Jolie Justus, StartupKC Small Business and Entrepreneurship Mayoral Forum

Startup leader: A new mayor is coming, with many good options on the April 2 ballot

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column (originally published by Venture Legal) is not intended as an endorsement of any particular Kansas City, Missouri, mayoral candidate. Kansas City is “on a roll,”…

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Chris Brown Venture Legal

Chris Brown: 37 lessons from five years of being my own boss

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column (originally published by Venture Legal) is intended to be general in detail and does not constitute legal advice. Five years ago I took a huge…

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