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

Q. I filed divorce papers months ago. We don’t have kids. When I served my husband, I found out he doesn’t live at his address any more. It turns out he’s now in jail. I’m not sure what to do next and I don’t have copies of my paperwork any more. How do I finish up my divorce? Anne  A. Dear Anne, Unfortunately it sounds like you still have a lot of work to do to get the divorce done. Before you can really get started, you will need to get your husband served. And before you can do that, you will need copies of your paperwork. You can get copies of all the paperwork you have filed by visiting the courthouse where you filed them. In Sacramento, for family law cases, that is the William R.

Q. I am the plaintiff in a motor vehicle personal injury case in Sacramento Superior Court. I went to your wonderful Civil Self-Help Center, which helped me get started with my complaint, and I want to thank you for offering that service! I also attended the Discovery Class on a Thursday, where the staff attorney explained all about the discovery process, and a Discovery Lab the next Thursday, where, again with the help of the staff attorney, I drafted some Interrogatories, and served them on the defendant. The problem now is she won’t answer them. What do I do? Georgette A. Thank you very much for your kind words about the Civil Self-Help Center, Georgette! For those of you that don’t k

Q. I am self-employed and use a cargo van for my business. The van is painted all white and used only by me. Would my van be considered a "commercial vehicle" and am I allowed to legally park in Sacramento County on the street of my house (residential parking)? Thanks for your time! -Deborah A. Since this is a two-part question, let’s start with the first order of business: determining if your van is considered a commercial vehicle. First, check your vehicle’s registration to see whether it’s registered as ‘automobile’ or ‘commercial.’ Depending on the make, model, and features of your van, the DMV may consider it ‘commercial’ regardless of whether you’re using it as a passenger car or

Q- On Saturday I got a bill in the mail from the State Board of Equalization saying I owed 1400.00 in sales tax and late fees from when I bought my brothers truck last year. I thought as brothers, we were exempt from the tax. Do I owe the money now?? Adam A- Thanks for your question. Your answer depends on how old you and your brother were at the time of the transaction. According to the California Vehicle Code §6285, you are not required to pay use tax on the purchase of a vehicle or vessel if it is considered a family transfer. A family transfer is from a parent, grandparent, grandchild, child, spouse, domestic partner, or siblings. However, both siblings need to be minors at the time