Legal Question in Business Law in Kentucky

Duplicating an existing companies service

There is a company named Auctiondrop. They sell items on Ebay for people who, for whatever reason, don't want to or cannot sell themselves. This company is located in southern California. I want to duplicate this service here in the Midwest. What are the legal ramifications if there are any ?

Thanks in Advance,

Ken


Asked on 11/10/03, 9:47 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Philip Owens Philip M. Owens, Attorney at Law

Re: Duplicating an existing companies service

There are possibly two problems that you need to be aware of: (1) Tradename: are you going to use the same tradename? I would suggest a different name; (2) PATENT AND COPYRIGHT-You must be careful that this company is not using a patented or copyrighted process in their business that you might be tempted to copy or use. They may have also copyrighted an idea. Go to a local attorney that specializes in these areas. There is usually no problem if you remain local but once you go on line, you expose yourself nationally. Simple preliminary searches can reveal problems that you can plan around. Get good advice from someone that you can call when needed. It is cheaper that paying a lot of damage fees, etc.

Read more
Answered on 11/11/03, 9:59 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Business Law questions and answers in Kentucky