Q. Dear Law Librarian, I am starting a new business. I hired a graphic artist and now have a really awesome logo. I have gotten my business license and registered as an LLC with the Secretary of State. How can I protect my logo? What’s the difference between a trade name and a trademark? Dana A. You are right this is a confusing area of the law especially for new businesses. Trade Names Trade names are just the name of the business entity used in identifying a business and generally used by the company for billing, taxes, banking, or other identification purposes. Trademarks Trademarks are marks used in connection with goods or services so that consumers recognize the marks as identif

I got to sit down with the founders of "Play2Survive", Michael Lang and Jackson Harris. I have never heard of an event that includes playing tag as a zombie. Lang, a coach, who has been involved in the community for several years apsires to help raise money for local high schools.  What inspired you to create a Zombie Tag game? Harris: I was browsing Facebook one day a few years ago and saw a zombie tag game, similar to ours, out in Virginia (where I went to High school) and thought it was a cool idea and wanted to go. I was in the middle of a semester of college in California so I couldn't just fly out there and decided that maybe I could call a few friends and try to host one myself i

Event Planner Sharon Gerber finished her nine year run with a great finale - The 12th annual Gala for my Sister's House at the Crest Monday night. She has had the talent to pull of many successful fundraisers for non-profits in a very fun way. She has had Sacramento's movers and shakers involved in providing great entertainment for non-profit supporters to enjoy....all the while raising money to keep non-profits afloat. Last night's event kept folks laughing and admiring people in the public eye for doing some great lip-syncing and choreographry that hit the spot. Master of Ceremonies, Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor of City of West Sacrament was a natural onstage with humor and  introducin

Multiple bold explorers and a proxy for Monsanto While the big buzz this week will be focused squarely on the latest entry in the decades-long Star Trek franchise, there are also a couple of smaller, counter-programming opportunities, one of which is oddly related to Star Trek. There’s also a second opinion included in today’s column on the Star Trek movie itself, but be warned in advance: Malcolm’s comments contain a character spoiler (although many viewers probably know this particular detail already).   Star Trek Into Darkness Directed by J. J. Abrams When the last “Star Trek” movie came out, I strongly praised its balancing act in terms of respecting the canon and the knowledge of

The Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER) has released the Q1 2013 Quarterly Economic Report--supplied to you through SACTO's member benefits. The Quarterly Economic Report provides an overview of the health and performance of the Sacramento Region's economy along with an update to the Sacramento Region Business Confidence Index, a collaborative project with the Sacramento Business Journal to measure business sentiment. Previous editions of this report are available on the CSER website (strategiceconomicresearch.org).   FIRST QUARTER REPORT - April 2013 Click to view   Positive job growth in the Sacramento Region moved up again in the first quarter of 2013  The six-county

The Great Gatsby (x3) 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald 1974 film by Jack Clayton 2013 film by Baz Luhrmann There have been four theatrical film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the earliest of which was made in 1926, only a year after the manuscript was completed (and which is now lost). Other than the latest version by Baz Luhrmann, the only version easily found for comparison purposes is Jack Clayton’s 1974 film, with a screenplay adapted by Francis Ford Coppola. In anticipation of the press screening of Luhrmann’s film, I downloaded and re-read the novel in the break between last Sunday’s East Coast feed of “Game of Thrones” and the West Coast feed of “Mad Me

This one is short and sweet and for the entrepreneurs out there who still believe you have to choose between profit and good works. You don’t have to choose. In fact, consider it may be shortsighted to favor one over another, and downright irresponsible if you still think that what is most valuable is profit for the sake of financial preeminence. What is valuable today is what innovates, and shifts the game forward in ways that advances causes, lives, understanding, and human achievement in ways that radically changes the fabric of our experiences. What is valuable is good for most and healthy for all, as in it doesn’t hurt or disrupt other people, animals, the earth, or the future. What

On Sunday, May 12, at 7 p.m., 15 local women writers will perform in the Sacramento premiere of “Listen to Your Mother” at the Crest Theatre. A portion of all proceeds will benefit 916 Ink, a local nonprofit organization that is dedicated to increasing the literacy rate of youth in Sacramento. Bring your mother, sister, daughter or friend and spend a Sunday evening listening to stories of motherhood. It’s certain that one of the stories presented by these women, who are professional writers or bloggers, artists, homemakers, teachers or office workers, is sure to tickle your funny bone and perhaps moisten your eyes, while each will certainly celebrate the complexities of motherhood. Since

600 specimens of brawny, hairy men (well, some were) donned high heels to walk a mile around the Capitol Mall today. They did it with grace and pain. Some did it fast, some slow. They did it. They did it to raise awareness about sexual assault against women and raised funds for WEAVE to provide 24-hour services  for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Here's some photos from the event: Award winners will be posted when information is received. Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

Small press focus: Akashic Books Akashic Books is this edgy press that you may or may not have heard of. Akashic published one of my favorite books of all time, “Ruins,” by Achy Obejas. Their noir series is sure to please fans of noir, and I recommend picking up one of the many titles, perhaps beginning with “Boston Noir 2: The Classics” or delving even deeper into the drug noir series, perhaps with “The Heroin Chronicles.” You might be asking just how good these books are. Well, with contributors like David Foster Wallace, Joyce Carol Oates and Andre Dubus, how can you go wrong with “Boston Noir 2: The Classics?” This collection is divided into three sections: Broken Families where you’

The newly designed Caesar Chavez Plaza Farmers' Market opened today amongst great temperatures and a windy day. Lots of farmer's stands, food servers and a good crowd made for a successful opening day. Here are some photos: The stands remain fairly consistent throughout the season. If you saw something you liked, you should be able to find it when you go. For information on Sacramento's Farmers Markets CLICK HERE.

GiveLocalNow  has a good competitive spirit. It's a 24-hour online giving for the arts. It's aim is to raise money for Arts. $500,000 is their goal. It kicked off at 4:29am and continues until 4:29am tomorrow (Tuesday). More than 75 participating arts organizations are asking the public to give an online donation as small as $25 to the arts via a mobile-friendly website, givelocalnow.org. Kelly Lind who works with the Sacramento Region Community Foundation said when she gave her donation at 6:30am online, the total donated at that point was around $32,000. When she got into the office at 8:30 it was up to the $100,000 mark.   As of 6:23pm Monday, $316,506 has been raised, past the half-

Another busy week at the Crest Theatre A little over 100 years ago, in January 1913, what we now know as the Crest Theatre first opened its doors as the Empress, a vaudeville theater - soon to be renamed the Hippodrome. In 1946 it closed for extensive remodeling, re-opening in 1949 as the Crest with an interior much as you can still enjoy it today, thanks to extensive renovation and care from the current ownership team and staff. A couple of months ago, news leaked out that the Crest would no longer routinely schedule films on its two smaller screens, disappointing many who feared that Sacramento would lose its only truly independent movie theater (The Tower Theatre being part of a small

Friday night the Del Paso Blvd Partnership kicked off its 4th annual Spring Carnival. It's like a scaled-down version of the State Fair. Part of the proceeds go to the beautification project for the area. It runs through Sunday night. Here's some opening night shots: Admission is FREE!

The first Midtown Farmers Market was held today. The market takes place on Saturdays (year round, rain or shine) and is held  on J Street between 20th and 21st streets, in the parking lot next to the Sacramento Native American Health Center.  Here's some photos from the first edition: Here's the schedule for the upcomg events: Saturdays 8am-1pm   Individual Dates & Times: * Apr 27, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) May 4, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) May 11, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) May 18, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) May 25, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) Jun 1, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) Jun 8, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) Jun 15, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) Jun 22, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (Sat) Jun 29, 2013: 8 am - 1 pm (S

A mixed bag of four new films It’s a busy week at the movies and a mixed bag of outcomes, including veteran stars who elevate their material and films that both benefit and suffer by being associated with true stories.   The Big Wedding Written and Directed by Justin Zackham This is the first of two movies this week that become more than they might otherwise be by virtue of their casts. In this case, what would otherwise probably be a C+ grade comedy romp is pulled up a notch or two by stars Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon (see below also), Diane Keaton, and a refreshingly understated performance from Robin Williams. It’s a surprisingly raunchy-at-times (and appropriately R-rated) take

Today was Keep California Beautiful Special Earth Day Event. Johny Garcia of California Electronic Asset Recovery (CEAR) and Roman Gonzalez hold laser video discs someone dropped off for E-waste recycling during the 7th Annual California Litter Collection day on April 25th. Other items dropped off were vacuums, tvs, small appliances and other small items with cords. When the items are sold to recycling companies, part of the proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald House. Gonzalez is a student in Christine Flowers Environmental Science class. He is fulfilling 10% of his grade by working alongside Garcia for the day. Every Saturday, CEAR does collect e-waste at various McDonalds stores. Donat

The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile has been here and there in the Sacramento area the past few days. It was in front of  Wal Mart at the corner of Watt and El Camino today. People seemed fascinated with it, perhaps it brought back memories of the folks who grew up listening to the song "I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner....everyone would be in love with me.". Some climbed up and inside. Last chance to see it around here is today at Antelope at 7901 Watt Ave from 2-5 - come ketchup! Read the Hotdogger Blog, the Oscar Mayer story and become part of the community of Oscar Mayer, Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and video

A second accident within just five hours happened at the intersection of T & 13th St in midtown around 1pm. According to Officer Morris,  the gray Honda was stopped on the south side of T St because of a stop sign. The white GMC SUV was traveling east on T St. and did not have a stop sign at that intersection. The Honda pulled out as the GMC SUV travelled freely through the intersection, resulting in a collision. The GMC traveled until it hit a curb and turned it upside down. The collision sent the GMC off course where it hit a VW that was parked, removing it's front bumper and headlight. The owner of VW was not present at the scene. Officer Morris said the occupants of the GMC had

The Flywheel Incubator program, run by the Arts & Business Council, had a successful grand opening. Beer, wine and food was served, live music and a great crowd of people stopped in to shop. Here are some scenes: To get the full experience of Flywheel, stop by. It's located between the cell phone shops and the two big spaces occupied by Macy's. These photos are just the tip of the iceberg!   To read about Flywheel, CLICK HERE>>> Go to their Facebook page. Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.