Hi Dave. I'm an inventor and I want to do some research on competing patents without paying major bucks for a lawyer. Is there some sort of site where I can poke around and identify potentially conflicting or competitive patents here in the US?...

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I am looking to start my own business. I would like to use the name "Tree of Life Studio". I looked this up online, and someone is also using this name for their bus. I am doing a completely different type of bus., in a different state. Can I legally use this name and does a person have the right to this name exclusively? Is this name copyrighted or trademarked?...

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Dave, I have a great idea for a company that I'm calling "Hot Times Hawaii" and my uncle just suggested to me that I need to check and ensure that the name isn't already a trademark of some other company or organization. I know that there's a database of trademarks, but I keep hearing that I have to pay a lawyer to do the search? What's the real scoop?...

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