Safeguarding Your Legacy
Your family business is more than a company—it’s your legacy. In this talk, we’ll explore how protecting your brand legally is one of the most powerful ways to safeguard everything you’ve built for the next generation. Whether your name is on the product or you’ve grown a reputation through quality and service, your brand is one of your most valuable assets—and also one of the most vulnerable.
Richard Rimer will introduce the foundational tools of brand protection, including how and why to register your trademarks, how to spot threats early, and how to enforce your rights without overstepping. He’ll break down common mistakes family businesses make—like failing to secure their brand in key markets or relying on informal naming strategies—and show you how to avoid them.
Whether you’re preparing to pass your business down or just getting serious about long-term planning, this session will give you practical steps to ensure your brand—and your legacy—are legally secure. Because protecting your brand isn’t just good business—it’s a gift to your children, your community, and the future of your enterprise.
Key takeaways
Understand What a Trademark Really Protects: Learn the difference between a business name, a domain, and a legally protected brand—and why that distinction matters.
Avoid Common Mistakes That Undermine Your Brand: Discover the top legal pitfalls family business owners make when it comes to naming, marketing, and expanding—and how to avoid them.
Learn the Basics of Trademark Registration: Get a clear overview of how trademarks are registered, what they protect, and when you should consider filing—without the legal jargon.
Gain Tools to Monitor and Enforce Your Rights: Explore how to spot and address brand misuse, copycats, and potential infringements before they damage your reputation.
Build a Brand That Outlives You: Walk away with actionable steps to ensure your brand is an asset—not a liability—when it’s time to pass the business to the next generation.
GUEST SPEAKER
Richard Rimer is a Brand Protection Lawyer dedicated to helping small and family-owned businesses safeguard their intellectual property. After years representing large corporations at major law firms, Richard founded his own practice to address the lack of legal support for smaller companies—many of whom simply "didn’t know" the risks they faced. He serves as President of the Cobb County Bar Association’s Business Law and Litigation Section and sits on the Advisory Board of the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta. Outside of work, Richard is a proud father of four daughters, an active PTA leader, and longtime girls’ soccer coach.
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