Commentary

When forming a business, one of the most important decisions is your choice of business entity. In this edition of Early Stage, attorney Joe Boucher takes would-be entrepreneurs through the decision-making process and the basic steps (including paperwork) required by the state and federal governments. ...

The United States Supreme Court's controversial decision in eBay vs. MercExchange has created a firestorm of controversy and is likely to increase the complexity of patent infringement litigation. The best legal advice offered by patent attorneys Joe Goode and Jonathan Fritz is be prepared for...

The economy may be moving up, but so are home foreclosures, points out columnist James Carlini. Does the rising number of foreclosures in Illinois and Wisconsin represent a chilling omen for the economy, or are they just a sign that homeowners bit off more than...

Cancer survivors like famed cyclist Lance Armstrong defy labels, according to guest columnist Ogan Gurel. Amstrong may have entered the cancer field on a bicycle, but Dr. Gurel believes he is joined by thousands who are using their own methods of dooming cancer to a...

In order to show that a corporate officer or director is personally liable for infringing intellectual property, a plaintiff has to meet a different standard for copyright, trademark, and patent infringement. While the bar is set high for each standard, corporate officers and directors must...

Not-so-clever “iconization” is no substitute for smart, savvy branding, as many companies have discovered. Columnist Naseem Javed has had just about enough of this iTrend, and he's calling out overly cute marketers who fail to iDentify something original. ...

The speakers at the Executive Club of Chicago luncheon offered some new economic insights for 2007, but not necessarily foresight on the new Apple iPhone. In the latest edition of Carlini's Comments, columnist James Carlini handicaps their financial forecasts, and bemoans their lack of...

While 2006 was a good year for the overall stock market, it was less kind to the biotech sector and a real mixed bag for the large-cap life science companies in the Midwest. How was it for the far more speculative and risky smaller-cap companies?...

Imagine Imago Scientific Instruments, a shining example of Wisconsin's expertise, creating good-paying jobs and selling its atom probe microscopes worldwide. Actually, there's no need to imagine because it's happening, and Imago's growing space in the global nanotech tools market offers more proof of what the...

Believe it or not, your customers can easily be exposed to abuses of your brand online, which can cause you to lose the goodwill you have established in the market. Organizations can take steps to mitigate some of the damage those abuses can cause, and...