Authors
Building a brand around a pen name, a book series, a recurring character, or courses and systems based on your book content.
IP for Creatives
Your creative work deserves protection, from someone who's lived it
Trademark and IP strategy for authors, artists and creators who want to protect their work and build a sustainable brand.
In Deborah's words
I know both the law and the business of creativity
You didn't spend time, money and energy developing your books, your voice, your characters or your brand to leave protection to guesswork, or to a generalist who doesn't understand creative business.
I'm a trademark attorney and a children's book author who runs a book production company, so I know both the law and the real-world business of creativity. I help creators protect what they make and turn it into revenue the right way.
Benefits
- Tailored trademark strategy for books, characters, series and author brands
- IP guidance aligned with your publishing, licensing and merchandising goals
- Practical counsel from someone who has been a creator, a publisher and an attorney
- Clear, business-focused roadmaps to protect and monetize your work
That's the practice I've built: IP for Creatives.
Who we work with
Creators with something worth protecting
Illustrators
Who want to retain the rights to their work, license it, or build a brand around their art or their characters.
Small and independent publishers
Navigating publishing agreements, trademarks, imprints and rights across multiple titles.
Children's book creators
Exploring licensing and merchandising opportunities for characters, series titles or brands.
Video content creators
Navigating protection of their content, their trademarks and the licensing of what they make.
How we can help
Five ways to protect and grow a creative brand
Trademark protection
Clearance searches, filing and prosecution for your name, series title, logo or character brand, so you're not building on borrowed ground, and no one else can build on yours.
IP portfolio management
Keeps your trademarks and copyrights organized through regular checks, clear renewal reminders, renewal filings, ownership updates and enforcement of your rights.
Licensing and merchandising agreements
From plush toys to apparel to animation rights, licensing deals are where creative IP turns into real revenue, and where the fine print matters most. I draft and review agreements that protect your rights while positioning your brand for growth.
Brand strategy for creative businesses
Practical counsel on structuring your brands for growth and longevity, and advice on creating new ones.
Ongoing IP counsel
Many creative businesses need a trusted advisor on retainer, not a one-time transaction. I offer flexible arrangements for authors and publishers who want steady, knowledgeable legal support as their brand grows.
Why this firm is different
Legal strategy, coupled with firsthand experience
IP attorneys understand the law, but this firm also understands what it means to build a creative business from the ground up. As both a trademark attorney and a children's book author who runs a book production company, I bring a unique perspective: legal strategy coupled with firsthand experience.
Learn how strategic IP protection can support the next stage of your creative business.
Questions from creatives
Short answers, with the full story on the blog
Can you trademark a book title or series?
A single book title generally cannot be registered as a trademark in the United States, but the title of a series can be, once it identifies a line of works rather than one book. Character names and author brands can also qualify.
Should you use trademarks in your writing?
You can usually mention a brand in fiction or non-fiction without permission, as long as the use is accurate and does not suggest endorsement or confuse readers about the source. Logos and brand names on your own cover or merchandise are a different question.
What is a trademark?
A trademark is any word, name, symbol or design that identifies the source of goods or services and distinguishes them from everyone else's. For a creator, that can be a pen name, a series title, a logo or a character brand.
Is AI-created work protected by copyright?
As a general rule, purely AI-generated content is not protected by copyright and cannot be registered. Works where a human contributes creative authorship can be, but only the human-authored portions are protected, and the AI contribution must be disclosed to the Copyright Office.
Why register copyright?
Copyright exists from the moment your work is fixed in tangible form, but registration is what lets you sue for infringement and, when it is timely, claim statutory damages and attorney's fees. It also creates a public record of your ownership.
Do I need a business first to file a trademark?
No. You can file an intent-to-use application before you have an established business or have sold anything, which reserves your place in line while you build. The mark must be in use in commerce before registration is granted.
How strong is my brand name?
The strongest marks are invented or arbitrary words that say nothing literal about the product. Descriptive names are hard to register and harder to enforce. A clearance search tells you where your name sits on that spectrum before you invest in it.
What is a cease and desist letter?
A formal letter that puts an infringer on notice of your rights and asks them to stop. Done well, it resolves most disputes without litigation, and it creates a record that matters if the dispute goes further.
Ready to protect your creative work?
Book a free discovery call and find out how strategic IP protection can support the next stage of your creative business.