​As a non-profit organization, you may have heard that you are not allowed to engage in lobbying. However, this generalization greatly oversimplifies the matter. And because of that oversimplification, some non-profits wrongly assume that they cannot even take a stand on issues, whether current social issues or simply issues that are relevant to the organization’s mission and purpose.

When it comes to running a functional and productive workplace, drugs and alcohol can cause any number of problems: lost productivity, excessive time off, workplace accidents, employees behaving badly while under the influence, etc. As we keep reiterating in this series, as an employer, you can be held vicariously liable for everything that your employees do when they are acting in the course and scope of their job duties. And if you think this is just a problem for someone else’s small business or non-profit, think again. Statistically, substance abuse is more of a problem at smaller businesses than larger ones precisely because small businesses are less likely to have drug-free workplace policies in place.[1] 

Add in the trend towards legalizing marijuana and small businesses can find themselves caught in a tough place. There’s a tension between being a “friendly” small business employer and making sure your employees can do their best work. After all, you’re not trying to be traditional, “stuffy” corporate America, but you don’t want to face a lawsuit caused by an employee’s bad behavior (especially one caused by an employee being under the influence while on the job). 

Over the lifespan of a small business, you may find yourself needing to sell or transfer intellectual property rights. There are a variety of situations where this might come up:
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• The trademark or copyright was registered in the name of an individual owner instead of the business. (Because this can be an incredibly valuable business asset, most of the time, the intellectual property should belong to the company and be registered in the company’s name.)
• The intellectual property rights are being sold in connection with the sale of all or part of the business.
• The trademark or copyright is being used as collateral to secure a debt.
• The company is merging with another business, and the intellectual property rights need to be transferred to the other business (or sometimes a new entity created out of the merger).
• The business entity (or sometimes individual) that owns the trademark or copyright undergoes a name change, and the registration simply needs to be updated.

​Even though intellectual property rights are intangible, they can still be sold or transferred much like any other business asset. This week, we look at how to transfer ownership of these assets.  Except for name changes, we first need an agreement between the parties describing the terms of the sale or transfer. Then, we need to record the assignment of the intellectual property rights in the appropriate office.

(Note: Licensing intellectual property is not the same as transferring ownership. Licensing deals with a temporary right to use intellectual property, not a change in the underlying ownership.)