On April 18, 2013, I will deliver a free 2.5-hour workshop on intellectual property in plain English for business owners.

This workshop is organized by DigiBC, the Digital Media and Wireless Association of British Columbia.

As an attendee, you will walk away not only with a ton of useful information about what different areas of intellectual property can do to and for your business, but also with several tangible tools that will allow you to start building the IP strategy for your business.

If you are running a business and don’t have a clear and viable IP strategy, this is a workshop that you can’t afford to miss!

To attend, you must register at http://mincovlaw2013.eventbrite.com/.

On February 13, 2013, I delivered a seminar on intellectual property at the New York Institute of Technology in Vancouver.

Great to see so many aspiring students with lit-up eyes who came to learn about IP.

As I’ve just mentioned, Mincov Law Corporation has just celebrated its first birthday.

Not only do I have tons of great friends among founders and co-founders of Vancouver tech startups, I know the challenges surrounding running a startup firsthand.

For many startups the cost of getting a trademark through a trademark agent may be prohibitive, so they end up without a trademark or with a poorly drafted trademark application.

I want to extend a helping hand and announce that throughout September of 2012 Mincov Law Corporation will be offering its most comprehensive trademark registration package valued at $3,500 + HST to any business that has been incorporated for less than 2 years in Canada for only…

Become the next , or for half the price in September!

I have been fighting against unauthorized use of other people’s music, software and movies for more than 18 years.

However, I also am very much aware of the ease with which one may download pretty much anything today – for free and often more useable compared to the legitimate copy (greetings, DVD menus and advertising).

Once you’ve been using a cracked or a ripped file without any issues, it is very difficult to force yourself to shell out hard earned money for something that would not result in any positive change in how we use the software, listen to the music or watch the films.

I also know that most people would prefer to own legitimate copies of the stuff they have on their computers if somehow miraculously they didn’t have to pay for it, at least to the extent that their user experience wouldn’t be worse off compared to what they’ve had with the file they leeched off a torrent.

Financial incentives are often more convincing than words.

This is why it is my pleasure to announce that starting September 1, 2012 every new client of Mincov Law Corporation will be receiving Anti-Piracy Reward Certificates.

The idea is simple:

1. become a client of Mincov Law Corporation;

2. receive valuable legal advice and outstanding customer service;

3. get a reward certificate;

4. buy legitimate software, music or movies;

5. receive a cheque from your lawyer.

The certificates may be regifted.

And think of it, doesn’t it sound great: “I just got my lawyer pay for my music”?

Please comment and share if you like the idea.

Today I’m happy to accept your warm wishes for my firm’s first birthday.

This day is very important for me.

Unlike my personal birthday, the birth of Mincov Law Corporation was something over which I had complete control. This makes it even more special.

Like any one-year-old, I’ve absorbed so much information and I’ve learned so many new skills during this past year, I can hardly contain my excitement going into the second year.

Now that I’ve been running my own business for 366 days, after I made hundreds of connections and helped dozens of clients, I have a much better understanding of the role that legal advice plays in the life of a startup. You allowed me to better see the value that I can provide to my clients at different stages of their businesses.

Stay tuned for two electrifying announcements that I will be making today!